A Little Thing Called Fate
by chakragoddess
Summary: ByakuyaxRukia get-together. How their relationship changed during Bleach as well as after the current storyline. Not incest, but that will be explained. Appearances by lots of other Bleach characters. **Rating change due to final chapter**
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my first foray into Bleach fanfiction! I have written fanfiction before, but it was for Avatar: The Last Airbender or for Dragonball Z. The fact is, I love Bleach. I have watched all the episodes that are available and read the manga religiously.

Thanks in advance for all reviews. Flames are fine, but seriously, get it out and get on with your life. I don't usually understand the trolls or the flamers – if you don't like it just don't read it. Seriously. I appreciate all positive reviews and encouragement. I also appreciate constructive criticism. I've noticed many authors will list off everyone who gave them a review. I don't do that – but be assured I read every review. I want to keep my author's notes to a minimum.

Now that we have that out of the way, onwards and upwards….onto the story. This is a ByaRuki fanfiction. I think I have a slightly different take on it and the way they eventually get together. It is not incest. At worst, it is a woman falling in love with her dead sister's husband (and vice-versa). There will be a few other characters such as Hisana, Renji, Ichigo, Kaien and Rangiku – but they definitely take a backseat to the two main characters of Byakuya and Rukia.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Inuzuri, 78th District, Rukongai

Renji and Rukia were in their usual sleeping spot in the 78th District of the Rukongai. They had been with each other for over 10 years – first as children, and now as teenagers – traveling, stealing, playing, and sleeping together. Now here they were on the verge of the most major change of their lives and things were going to be different forever.

"Are you sure Renji?" Rukia asked her best friend.

"Yes, it's time," he replied.

"I'm scared," she told him.

He placed his arm around her waist and pulled her to him as closely as he could as they lay there together in a spooning position.

"Don't be," he said.

"Things will never be the same," said Rukia.

"And that's a bad thing?" Renji asked. "Look around you. Look at where we are – hiding in an abandoned building in the Inuzuri sleeping on a dirt floor. Our friends are dead and we're the only two left.

"What if they don't want me?" Rukia asked.

"Believe me, we both have more than enough spiritual pressure to pass the entrance exams. You can't get rid of me that easily," Renji replied.

"I guess you're right. I'm just going to miss what we have. I know it's dirty and it's scary. But it's all I've ever known. And I have you by my side. We'll have to stand on our own two feet if we go to the Shino Academy," said Rukia. "You won't always be with me."

"Rukia, what we have here is crap. You and I together is the best of it all, but it can't last forever. I love you more than you'll ever know. You are like a sister to me – no, that's not it. You are almost like my wife. I've never trusted anyone more than I trust you. You and I know exactly what to expect out of one another. We should enjoy our final days together in the Rukongai because once we enter that gate, we can be friends and classmates only," said Renji.

"Friends and classmates. I guess I can live with that for now," Rukia replied and smiled ever so slightly.

"But in the meantime….," he started, but never finished. He gently nipped at her shoulder as he held her closely.

Rukia closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of tenderness and love Renji was sharing with her.

He was behind her and with his small kisses and large body encompassing hers, she had never felt so safe or secure as she did right at that moment.

_One last time_, she thought to herself. She turned her head so that her violet eyes would meet his reddish brown ones. He saw her invitation and gently leaned so that his lips would meet hers.

_I am going to miss this_, Renji thought. _She is my everything._

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia and Renji both entered the Shino Academy soon after that night of love and passion. They concentrated hard on their studies while there – Renji in the advanced class and Rukia in the lower class. They knew that they could no longer be together like they were in the Rukongai, but they still spent a lot of time together, supporting each other, as friends.

Rukia excelled at Kido while Renji was an excellent swordsman. Rukia aced many of her classes while Renji tended to struggle with the academic portion of his training. One day, early in their Academy days, Renji ran to Rukia to tell her about an important exam that he had passed. He barged right into her room only to find her talking with some important-looking people. She glared at Renji at first. The visitors sensed that it was time to leave and walked past Renji who could do nothing but bow to the immense spiritual pressure and white haori that had just passed.

"What was that all about?" Renji asked.

"I'm not sure. They were representatives of the Kuchiki family. They say they want to adopt me," she explained.

Renji's eyes went wide. "Adopt you? But you're not a kid anymore."

"Renji, I don't know what to do. I don't – ," she started, but was quickly cut-off by her friend.

"Rukia, this is your chance. You should do it. The Kuchiki family wants you!" interrupted Renji.

"But I - ," started Rukia once again.

He held her to him knowing full-well what it would probably mean if Rukia said "yes" to these people.

"Alright," she finally said having been convinced by her best friend.

OlOlOlOlOlO

To Rukia's dismay, her life was turned completely upside down when she finally agreed to be an adopted Kuchiki. She definitely didn't fully understand what it meant – truly what it meant – when she joined the family. She also didn't quite understand why they had asked in the first place. As curious as she was, she felt it was probably best if she just held off from asking too many questions.

One week after the visit from the Kuchiki family, Rukia found herself at their manor signing the official adoption papers. Everyone was especially nice to her – well, that is, except for Byakuya Kuchiki the captain of the sixth squad. He just sat there at the formal table overlooking the entire procedure with a frown on his face. arms crossed in front of him, and eyes closed.

"Rukia, dear. Here is where your final signature is needed," said an older gentleman by the name of Wasaki.

Rukia signed and Wasaki grouped the papers all together and handed the pile to a servant. "Please take this to my personal office where I will complete the process."

The servant turned to leave and Wasaki once again faced the newest Kuchiki who was still sitting at the table.

"Now Rukia, we now must start preparing," said Wasaki.

"What for?" she asked politely.

"My dear girl, there is so much to do! We must have your belongings retrieved from the Academy and moved here to the manor - ," started Wasaki.

Rukia tried to interrupt, "But I didn't - ."

"You will no longer be a student at the Academy. Byakuya here has arranged for you to immediately join the thirteen court guard squads," said Wasaki.

He looked over to the captain, who still showed little interest in what was going on. Byakuya nodded at the old man ever so slightly.

"Finally, you must learn the ways of being a noble," said Wasaki. "I'm sure being from - . Well, nevermind. We have tutors who can teach that sort of thing, you know!"

"Sir, I'm forever grateful for your - ," started Rukia once again.

"Goro! Come here please!" shouted Wasaki, waving his arm in the air.

"Yes sir?" a new servant walked up to Wasaki.

"Please show Miss Rukia to the room we have prepared for her. I'm sure she would like to freshen up a bit after her long day," said Wasaki.

"Yes sir," replied Goro.

Rukia rose and silently followed Goro to a room at the end of a long corridor. He indicated she should go inside the dark room. She did, and he closed the door behind her.

Rukia hadn't thought about what she could expect from her decision. Now here she was – alone – in a place that she didn't know and certainly wasn't comfortable in. _What do I do now?_ She thought to herself.

Rukia sat down on the luxurious bed. She stared into space trying to come to terms with the whirlwind that had just occurred. Suddenly, she toppled over onto the bed and cried.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

The next morning, Rukia awoke to a slight tapping at her bedroom door.

"Y-yes?" she questioned.

"Kuchiki-sama?" said a small voice from behind the door.

"Who is it?" Rukia asked.

"My name is Masumi Nishikori and I have been assigned to be your servant," said the servent girl.

"My servant?" Rukia asked herself. "Masumi, please come in."

"Oh no, Kuchiki-sama, I can't - ," Masumi attempted to explain her place.

"Masumi, _come in_," Rukia said more forcefully.

Once Masumi was inside her room, Rukia started to speak to her. "My name is Rukia. Please call me Rukia. And I will call you Masumi. Is that alright?"

Masumi nodded.

"I'm totally new at this," said Rukia. "Have you worked here long?"

"About two years," said Masumi. "Though I worked mostly in the kitchen before being assigned to you."

"Then I expect you can explain some things to me. Will you help me Masumi?" asked Rukia. "I need a friend, someone I can trust to show me the ropes. Ok?"

Rukia smiled at the girl.

Masumi smiled back. "Yes, Miss….yes, Rukia," she said.

"Great. So what should I expect today?" Rukia asked her new friend and servant.

"You have been asked to join Kuchiki-taicho at breakfast at his standard time of 8am," said Masumi.

Rukia looked at the clock. It was 7:30am. There was still plenty of time.

"Masumi, have my things arrived from my dorm room?" asked Rukia, making her way to the bathroom.

"Yes, they arrived late last night. They are sitting in one of the guest bedrooms. I don't think they wanted to wake you by delivering them here last night."

"While I am at breakfast, can you have someone bring them in here?" asked Rukia.

"I will," answered Masumi.

Rukia walked over to where her uniform from the day before was laying across a chair.

"I can't wear this again," she said matter-of-factly.

"There are a few kimonos and other assorted clothes in the dresser and closet for you," said Masumi.

Rukia walked to the closet and found a beautiful blue kimono in her size. "This will do until I unpack my uniforms. Masumi, I'm going to bathe now. Can you…."

"Oh! Of course," Masumi answered and left the bedroom straight away.

Rukia drew herself a bath and slid into it. _I miss you Renji_, she thought to herself. _It's only been a day since I last saw you and already I'm in over my head._

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia arrived in the dining room and stood there for just a moment.

"Rukia," said the ominous figure at the head of the table. "Please sit."

"Y-yes, Kuchiki-taicho," she replied.

She slid into one of the seats on Byakuya's right side. She sat there stiff, with both arms at her sides, not really knowing what to do. For five minutes, they sat there in silence. Byakuya was reading some papers off to his left while he ate. He did not acknowledge Rukia's presence in the least.

Rukia was about to lose it. _What_ _do I do? Should I say something? _ Just when she thought she couldn't take the silence anymore, a servant walked in and placed a plate of food in front of her.

"Ummm…thank you," Rukia said to the servant.

"You do not thank them," said Byakuya.

Rukia started at the harshness of the statement. She picked up a piece of bread with her hand.

"Do not eat with your hands," said Byakuya.

Rukia put the bread back down again and didn't move for a minute or two more. _Apparently I don't even know how to eat correctly in this house. _

Byakuya finished his meal and dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin. He still didn't look at Rukia.

He stood up from the table. "Rukia, you will begin lessons with Akani Tame this morning."

"Lessons?" she looked up at him.

"Yes, you need to learn how to behave like a noble," he explained. "I understand that your belongings are in one of the guest rooms."

"I've already asked Masumi to bring them to my bedroom while I am here, Kuchiki-taicho," she replied.

"And about that," he said. "You may call me Byakuya-sama or nii-sama. You are now a Kuchiki and do not need to call me Kuchiki-taicho."

"Nii-sama?" she asked.

"You have been adopted by the Kuchiki clan. The position that has been chosen for you is as a sister to the head of the clan, therefore, you are now my adopted sister."

Rukia's mouth gaped open. She had no idea that she was actually going to be assigned to be anything. _If I'm his sister, don't his parents have to adopt me or something? How do you adopt a sister?_ She didn't quite understand how it all worked. She knew she was now Rukia Kuchiki, but how exactly did she become his sister?

"Close your mouth, Rukia," Byakuya corrected her once again.

"Y-yes, nii-sama," she quietly replied.

"Better," he said.

"You will learn from Akani Tame in the morning and afternoon for the next two weeks. On the Monday of the third week, you will report to your new assignment in the thirteen court guard squads. I have asked that you report to Jushiro Ukitake of the thirteenth squad," explained Byakuya.

"Hai, nii-sama," she replied.

Byakuya then exited the room and Rukia let out an audible exhale as she slumped back into her chair. He was gone and she could eat in peace.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya made his way to another room in the manor, a room where many books and records were kept. There was a small double-door hutch built into one of the walls. He grabbed the doors and slowly swung them open. It revealed a small shrine to his late wife, Hisana.

_Hisana, she's here. And she's officially now a Kuchiki. I'm not sure if I'm up to this, but I will try – for you. Because you said you were not a good sister to her and that I should be the sibling she never had, she is now known as my sister. I will do my best to make you proud of me, Hisana. It will be difficult. She reminds me so much of you. _


	2. Chapter 2

Rukia left the manor with Byakuya early. As she was trained by Akani Tame, she took a position behind him and slightly to his left when they walked. She did not speak unless she was spoken to. It was nice to see that she was indeed learning how to behave properly, though Byakuya had also heard from the tutor that Rukia was definitely not a natural and these things were difficult for her to comprehend and retain. She slipped up often.

Byakuya led Rukia to where the thirteen court guard squads were located in the central Seireitei. They entered an area that was marked with the symbol for "13". Byakuya walked straight into the building and knocked on one of the doors. There was no answer. He knocked again - still no answer.

"Can I help you Kuchiki-taicho?" asked a petite Shinigami with short brown hair.

"Where is Ukitake-taicho?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but he will not be in today. He is not feeling well," answered the woman.

Byakuya just stared intently at the woman. "You are…?"

"Oh, my name is Kiyone Kotetsu and I am a third seat here in the 13th squad," she answered.

_Not how I would have liked to have done this but_…. "Is your fukutaicho here today?" Byakuya asked.

"Yes, sir," she answered him.

"This is Rukia Kuchiki and she was due to report to the 13th squad today. With the absence of your taicho, your fukutaicho will need to process the proper paperwork to ensure she is officially received," explained Byakuya.

"Kuchiki-taicho, I will take full responsibility of her and ensure she gets to Shiba-fukutaicho," said Kiyone.

"Where exactly is Shiba-fukutaicho?" Byakuya asked, hesitant to hand Rukia over to this person in front on him.

"He is out on the practice fields, but I'll take her!" answered Kiyone.

Kiyone didn't hesitate to grab Rukia's arm and run with her in the opposite direction. The look on Rukia's face was priceless as she was not expecting to be tugged quite so suddenly away from her spot.

"Good-bye, nii-sama!" she finally let out as they rounded a corner so she could no longer see her brother.

Byakuya simply stood there for a few seconds, irritated by what had just happened. He mentally checked himself and finally gauged that it would be ok to let the situation be for now. She was here in the thirteenth squad and even though he had not talked with Kaien Shiba personally, that he was sure he'd be the very next person she'd see. Finally, he walked back out of the 13th squad barracks and made his way towards his own squad.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia and Kiyone walked past several open doorways on their way outside to see the fukutaicho. In one room, there was a man who looked like he was brewing tea.

"Sentaro, what are you doing?" asked Kiyone who had paused to question this Shinigami.

"I'm making the taicho some tea," Sentaro replied.

Kiyone's face turned red, like she was about to explode.

"It was my turn to make him his tea!" she yelled. Rukia sort of leaned back. _Why is she making such a big deal out of tea?_

"Baka, you weren't around so he asked me!" said a stern Sentaro.

"Well, I'm here now!" Kiyone replied.

"Tough!" he yelled back.

Rukia stood there while she watched the two Shinigami's disappear down the corridor both trying to take hold of the same tray with the tea on it.

_That was strange._

"Can I help you?" said a new voice in front of Rukia.

She turned, startled to find a new Shinigami in front of her. 

"Yes, I think I need to see Shiba-fukutaicho," she replied.

"What for?" was the curt question asked as a reply.

"I-I'm going to join the 13th squad and Kotetsu and Sentaro just left and…," she started.

"What is your name?" he interrupted.

"Rukia Kuchiki," she replied.

"Follow me," the gruff man said.

They walked the opposite way down the hallway.

After passing about five doors and entering the sixth, he told her, "Wait here." The door closed behind her.

Rukia could hear the whispers – the fact that she was there, the fact that she had a noble surname and that perhaps she was somehow shown favoritism by even being here. The whispers were interrupted by a loud man's voice setting them straight about how they were to treat their fellow squad members no matter what their last name happened to be – that judgment should be made on actions, not on appearance or name.

Just then, the door slid open and a tall, handsome Shinigami with black spiky hair stormed into the room.

"Hello, I am the fukutaicho of the 13th squad – Kaien Shiba," he introduced himself. "Welcome!"

Rukia was a bit meek with her reply. "I see. Yes, sir," was all she could muster.

"What kind of lame greeting was that!" he yelled at her. "I am your fukutaicho! You should state your name and say 'pleased to meet you sir!'"

"What's your name anyway?" he yelled.

"Ru-Rukia Kuchiki, sir," she replied. Then she remembered the rest, "And I'm pleased to meet you sir!"

"That's much better, Rukia. You're alright," he smiled and turned away.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

OlOlOlOlOlO

As awkward as the first day with the 13th squad was for Rukia, she quickly learned to love everything about being a Shinigami. For one, it was a release from the cold Kuchiki manor. Most everyone else in the family lived outside of the main house so apart from Byakuya and the staff, not many others were ever there.

She still had to endure her daily nobility teachings so there wasn't much free time to herself since she spent her days working with her squad. She did not earn a seated officer position which disappointed her a bit, but still enjoyed the comradeship she shared with the others of the squad, especially Shiba-fukutaichou.

In her eyes, the man could do no wrong. He was a skilled Shinigami in every area of combat, yet he was still so personable with everyone he talked with. He would literally take his subordinates under his wing and train them to the best of his ability. In Rukia's case, he would take her to Mt. Koifushi in the western Rukongai to train her.

Rukia developed quite a crush on Kaien Shiba. But she knew nothing would ever come of it - but she enjoyed her longing just the same. Kaien was a married man and his wife was the third seat of the 13th squad. Rukia wasn't even tempted try anything – as a matter of fact, she also loved Miyako Shiba, and thought the two lovers were perfect for each other.

In her room at Kuchiki manor, Rukia would often daydream about Kaien and being with him. _I know it's wrong to think about Kaien so much, but he makes me happy and I am so lonely here._

OlOlOlOlOlO

_Several years later..._

Rukia had heard that Renji had finally graduated from the Shino Academy. He was assigned to the 5th squad under Sosuke Aizen along with classmates Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira. Not being a seated officer, she was hardly ever sent away from her squad's area during normal working hours. Her nights were filled with lessons at the manor. Other than a casual glimpse of his flaming red hair usually walking far enough away from her that he didn't even notice she was there, Rukia didn't see Renji at all. Rukia wondered if Renji ever missed her.

Life at the Kuchiki manor didn't change. Byakuya Kuchiki didn't change. Rukia would forever be grateful for what he did for her – what the family did for her – but he still never looked at her even if they shared a meal together. He hardly ever talked to her – most certainly not for casual conversation, only if there was something that needed to be said. She found herself longing from time to time for some sort of acknowledgement from her brother. She wasn't sure what she wanted or needed, but this obvious gaping hole between them was not it.

Late one evening, Rukia decided that she wanted to know a bit more about how she had become a Kuchiki. She sat on one of the chairs in her room perusing a book she had borrowed from her taicho. Masumi tapped lightly and entered the room to turn down Rukia's bed.

"Good evening, Masumi," greeted Rukia.

"How are you Rukia?" Masumi replied.

"Masumi, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" asked Rukia.

"Of course , anything," Masumi replied.

"Do you know why the Kuchiki family adopted me?" asked Rukia.

Masumi turned pale upon hearing the very direct and controversial question. "W-why do you need to know that?" Masumi asked.

"Don't you think I have a right to know?" asked Rukia.

"B-but Rukia, I…," started Masumi.

"I know you could get in a lot of trouble. Don't worry, I will not speak a word to anyone," said Rukia.

"Well, the word around the manor at the time you came to join us was that it was completely Kuchiki-taicho's decision," answered Masumi.

"Nii-sama?" questioned Rukia. "But I didn't even know him at the time of my adoption."

"It is said that you resemble his late wife," explained Masumi. "I didn't know her very well, but you do sort of…."

"He was married?" interrupted Rukia more to herself than anyone else. _This still doesn't make any sense._

"That is all I know," said Masumi.

"Thank you for telling me," said Rukia.

Masumi left the room.

"Am I his pet?" she asked herself outloud. "Does he just enjoy looking at me?" _I still don't understand 'why?' Am I here just so he can pretend she is still alive? _

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia wanted to see if she could get some of the answers she longed for. She knew that each evening, Byakuya would visit his garden. She was not forbidden from going there, but she, along with all of the servants, knew that it was a bad idea to disturb him unless it was an absolute emergency.

Byakuya wandered through his garden, enjoying the peace and quiet, letting his mind wander. That's when he noticed a small figure sitting on a bench in front of the koi pond. It looked like _Hisana…._

_No, not Hisana. Rukia. Hisana is dead. _

He walked over to her and stood close enough so she would know that he was standing right behind her. He said nothing at first.

"Good evening, nii-sama," greeted Rukia.

"Rukia," was all he replied.

Silence ensued.

Finally, Rukia spoke. "Am I disturbing your evening, nii-sama?"

"What do you need, Rukia?" he asked her.

"Nii-sama, I was just enjoying the fresh air and the beautiful garden," she explained.

"You know I come here at this time every evening. You would not have come unless you needed something," he explained to her.

Rukia's face dropped in disappointment knowing she wasn't going to talk her way around the brick wall he always had up between them.

"Nii-sama, I was wondering…why was I adopted by the Kuchiki clan?" she asked.

"That is none of your concern," answered Byakuya. "Just be thankful that you were."

"I am thankful, nii-sama. It's just that…," she tried again.

"Rukia, please," he interrupted. Then he walked away from her, leaving her in the same place as where he found her.

She took the hint and made her way back inside. But before heading towards her bedroom, she decided to make a side trip to the kitchen to see what she could find in the way of a good drink to take with her.

When she entered the kitchen, she saw that Goro was in there tidying up.

"Are you still cleaning up after the dinner preparations?" asked Rukia to the servant.

"Ah, Miss Rukia, how are you this evening?" he greeted her with a sincere smile.

"I'm fine Goro. Do you need any help?" she asked.

"No, no. I'm just about done. Did you come here for something?" he asked.

"Yes, I just wanted to see if I could find something to drink," Rukia said.

Goro walked over to the other side of the kitchen and went into one of the cabinets. When he turned back around, he had two drinks, one in each hand. "Were you thinking something like this?" nodding at the sake in his right hand, "Or this?" nodding at the juice in his left hand.

Rukia giggled. "The juice will be fine," she answered.

"Very well," replied Goro, handing her the juice.

"Goro, what was nii-sama's first wife like?" asked Rukia.

"She was a sweet, sweet woman," he replied. "I'm only sorry that she didn't stay with us longer."

"How long was she here?" asked Rukia.

"About five years," answered Goro. "This whole place was so much happier with her around, though the other members of the family were not very accepting of her."

"Why is that?" Rukia asked.

"She was a commoner from Rukongai," answered Goro.

Rukia's mouth gaped open. "Nii-sama was married to a commoner?" Rukia asked.

"Yes, Hisana was not of noble blood," verified Goro. "But she made the master so happy."

_Nii-sama, happy? I can't even imagine._

"D-do I look like his wife?" asked Rukia, a little timidly.

Goro studied her face a bit. "Hmmm. Yes, now that I look at you, you do resemble her quite a bit. You have the same hairstyle and the same colored eyes. Although she was just a bit taller than you are."

A shadow crossed the doorway to the kitchen. Neither Rukia nor Goro saw that it was there.

"Thank you, Goro," Rukia said as she got up from her seat in the kitchen.

"For what?" he asked.

"I just wanted to learn more about how I came about being here," she answered.

Rukia slowly made her way to her room.

_Could it be that simple? I remind him of his late wife, thus he wanted me to be close to him?_

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya, having just passed the kitchen, made his way to the study where he would talk to Hisana.

_Hisana. She has been here for more than two years now. It isn't any easier for me than when she first arrived. I find it so difficult to be around her. Now she is asking questions about why she came here. Will she accept the answer we planted for her benefit? That she looks like you? Or will she pursue another one, the true one?_

OlOlOlOlOlO

A/N: You will recognize that one scene above is my own take on one taken from the anime/manga. I tweaked it a bit to make it mine - but the main reason I included it is for a time stamp so you could tell where he rest of the events are occurring. I don't own Bleach (or that scene) nor will I make any money off this fanfiction.


	3. Chapter 3

_One year later…._

"Masumi," said Byakuya from his spot at the head of the dining room table.

"Yes, Kuchiki-taicho," answered Masumi as she hurried to his side to do his bidding.

"Has Rukia left her room yet?" Byakuya asked.

"No, sir. I'm afraid she is still in there. I'm getting a little worried….," she answered.

"I see," answered Byakuya. "Please let me know if anything changes."

"Yes, sir. I will," answered Masumi.

Just then a new Kuchiki face entered the room. "Kuchiki-taicho, how is she?" asked Wasaki.

"Nothing has changed," answered Byakuya. "She has been in there for three days straight. Her servant tells me that she is not eating well."

"You must do something then," answered Wasaki.

"What can I do?" Byakuya answered.

"I don't know much about the woman," said Wasaki. "I think I've talked to her maybe a dozen times over the last three years. You are the one who asked us to make her a Kuchiki and bring her here, remember? As head of the clan, and as the one primarily responsible for her, you must snap her out of it!"

Byakuya didn't say another word. He merely left the dining room as well as the older Kuchiki who was in there.

That evening, he lightly tapped on Rukia's door.

"Rukia," he said lightly enough so she would not wake should she be sleeping.

He tapped lightly again, then slowly turned the knob. She was not in a good state, so he really hadn't expected her to answer anyone who might be knocking on her door.

He entered the dark room. It was hard to see anything, but he could make out a small figure lying on the bed. She didn't acknowledge him.

"Rukia," he said once more.

No movement. "Rukia, you must eat," he said to her.

No reply.

"You cannot stay in here forever. At some point, you will need to leave your room," he said.

No reply.

Byakuya was not a warm person. Everyone knew it – he knew it. It was not in his personality nor his mindset to say anything that might comfort her. He was at a loss. Other than yelling at her or being stern with her – both of which he thought were inappropriate at the moment – he was out of ideas.

"Rukia, please," was the last thing he said.

Upon hearing no reply, he left the room in the same manner in which he had arrived.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Does she still refuse to eat?" asked Juushiro Ukitake-taicho of his comrade.

"That is correct," said Byakuya. "I thought you might be able to convince her. She holds you in very high regard." He paused. "Besides...you were there."

"I will give it my best Kuchiki-taicho. Shiba-fukutaicho's death as well as the death of all the others has been extremely hard on the entire squad," answered Juushiro

"She was the one who actually killed him, was she not?" asked Byakuya.

"Well, yes. Technically, she was, but she didn't have a choice. His body had been taken over by a hollow and if she had not struck him down, he could have killed countless others," answered Juushiro.

"Goro!" Byakuya yelled for his servant.

"Sir," Goro almost immediately replied.

"Please show Ukitake-taicho to Rukia's room and allow him to enter," requested Byakuya.

Goro nodded. "Right this way, sir."

Before he knew it, an hour had passed. Byakuya had taken a late afternoon walk and returned to his study before Ukitake had appeared to him once more.

Byakuya stared at the white-haired captain waiting for any sign that he was successful. Juushiro then held out an empty plate so Byakuya could see.

"She's going to be fine," he told Byakuya. "Just give her time."

"Thank you, Ukitake-taicho," said Byakuya.

"It was my honor to help," Juushiro replied. "I'll be by tomorrow and I'll go for a walk with her…if that's ok with you."

"Of course," answered Byakuya.

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_Hisana, something horrible happened. Rukia killed her fukutaicho. A hollow invaded his body and she had no choice but to run him through. I did not keep my promise to you to protect her. Now this has happened and she is devastated. She was not hurt physically, but I believe her mental state has suffered horribly. _

_I have been unable to get through to her. I have asked her taicho to intervene and he has apparently made progress. She ate this evening for the first time in days. I am sad, however. I am supposed to be her older brother as you asked me to be, but I still find that I cannot bring myself to get close to her. It is far too painful for me. I have watched from afar these past few years and I take immense pride in who she has become. I have come to care for her. But I still must admire her from afar. Hisana, please forgive me._

OlOlOlOlOlO

The coldness of the Kuchiki manor as well as Byakuya never left over the next 40 years. Rukia did manage to repress that awful day in which she cut down the one figure in her life that brought her the most happiness – her fukutaichou, Kaien Shiba. The memory of that day did haunt her, however. She had been told that his family blamed her for what happened that day – and who could blame them? No one had ever stepped forward to tell them the truth…or to apologize.

Rukia's life was dull at best. Her lessons in nobility waned as she finally learned how to conduct herself at formal affairs and at official meetings. She definitely had more fun and could be herself within the confines of the work she did for the 13th squad. Rukia remained unseated, a fact that befuddled her. She knew she was more skilled than many of the seated officers, but Ukitake-taicho would only tell her that she was not ready yet.

Every evening, she returned home to her and Byakuya's home. They ate a quiet dinner on most nights. Neither one really talked to the other. If any conversation did take place, it was out of necessity. Rukia knew that if anything occurred regarding her – an injury, a training session, a trip out of the Seireitei – she was responsible to keep her brother informed. Meanwhile, he shared very little with her except when he knew he'd be gone.

Rukia continued to wonder why Byakuya bothered to bring her into the family. He still never looked at her. Ever. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he _hated_ her, as if the decision to adopt her wasn't his idea at all. Rukia always wondered what she did wrong to make him act this way – and her questions were never answered in all this time.

Then everything changed….

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

"So today's your last day, eh Rukia?" said Kiyone.

"Y-yeah, I guess so," Rukia replied.

"Last day for what?" asked Sentaro.

"Didn't you hear? Rukia's going to the real world for a whole month!" said Kiyone.

"Rukia, that's great! You'll have a great time in the real world. I haven't been there in quite some time, but the food is great. What part are you going to?" asked Sentaro.

"Karakura Town," replied Rukia.

"You like Chappy, don't you? They have a few Chappy stores in that town," said Sentaro.

"It's not about fun and games, Sentaro," replied Rukia. "I'm going to need to keep the town safe from hollows."

"There's always time for fun, Rukia," said Sentaro.

"When are you leaving?" asked Kiyone.

"Tomorrow morning," Rukia answered.

"Have you told Byakuya yet?" asked a new member to the conversation. Ukitake-taicho had overheard the conversation and stuck his head into the doorway where he heard his three subordinates talking.

"Um, no. Not yet," answer Rukia.

Juushiro noted Rukia's hesitation at that last question. He had now been her taicho – and a good friend - for the last 40 years. He knew exactly what her hesitation was all about as well as the overall situation in the Kuchiki household. All he could do was support his friend and subordinate. It was not his place to intervene.

"I would be more than happy to inform him for you, Rukia. That is, if you would like me to," said Juushiro.

"Yes, taicho. I would appreciate that," she replied.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The work day had just started two days later when Juushiro heard a knocking at his door.

"Come in," said Juushiro.

In walked Byakuya Kuchiki. "Ukitake-taicho, do you know where Rukia is?"

Juushiro sighed, looked down at his desk and shook his head from side-to-side ever so slightly. _ I had hoped she would tell him. I guess things are worse than even I suspected._

"Kuchiki-taicho, Rukia has been sent to Karakura Town in the real world for the time period of one month," said Juushiro.

"S-she's gone?" Byukuya said, losing his composure for just a split second. He had no problem regaining it again. "Why was I not informed of this?"

"She is a squad member of mine just like any other," answered Juushiro. "It isn't my duty to keep you informed. If anyone should have told you of her assignment, it should have been her."

Byakuya didn't answer that last statement. He sat there silently for a few seconds, thinking.

"Byakuya, I don't mean to prod into your private affairs, but I am concerned about Rukia's happiness. There must have been a reason that she did not tell you she was leaving. Is there anything I should be concerned about?" asked Juushiro.

"Thank you. Good day, Ukitake-taicho," answered Byakuya choosing not to use reply in kind to Juushiro's use of the familiar.

Byakuya left the 13th squad's offices and headed across the Seireitei to where the 6th squad resided. His heart was truly heavy as the guilt of not being available to Rukia weighed heavily on him. He knew it, but took it for granted that Rukia would still trust and respect him without him having to really earn it. The funny thing was that she had turned into the perfect noble – at least around him. She treated him as the leader of a clan should be treated. She was always respectful and used correct titles and honorifics. Rukia was now truly a Kuchiki. But he knew it was all a ruse. She was very unhappy and lonely.

OlOlOlOlOlO

_Two months later…_

Byakuya arrived at the 6th squad earlier than his usual work day start time. He had just been given an order by the soutaicho himself and there were a few things he absolutely had to get done before fulfilling that order.

Mid-morning rolled around and Byakuya's new fukutaicho strolled into the building, late as usual. Renji Abarai had been promoted at about the same time as when Rukia left for Karakura Town. Byakuya was a bit skeptical about this red-haired oaf becoming his new fukutaicho. Byakuya had a great memory and recalled the day when Renji interrupted the Kuchiki meeting with Rukia when they first brought up the idea of her adoption. He knew that this Shinigami had, at one point, been friends with Rukia though there didn't seem to be any traces of that friendship anymore. Byakuya decided to go with him though on the personal recommendation of several of the other taichos who told him not only was Renji gifted in battle, but that he was a hard worker when it came to training. It was unfortunate for Byakuya that Renji was not a hard worker when it came to completing paperwork – nor was he the most mannerly or punctual individual.

"Good morning, taicho," said Renji when he walked past his open office door.

"Renji, we need to talk," said Byakuya.

Renji backed up to the open office door and stuck his head in. "Somethin' the matter, taicho?" he asked.

"I have been given a mission by the soutaicho and I want you to help me complete it," said Byakuya. "We leave after dinner this evening. Meet me at the Kuchiki manor. But before you come, drop by the 12th squad and pick-up a reitsu dector to bring with us."

"What's going on, sir?" asked Renji. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Karakura Town. We're going to find Rukia. She was due back a month ago and hasn't reported in. They think she gave her Shinigami powers to a…human."


	4. Chapter 4

Having been apprehended in the real world by her brother and his fukutaicho, Rukia now sat alone in the 6th squad's holding cell for prisoners. The truth of the matter was that she had given the great majority of her Shinigami powers to a human. That human, who she had grown to care about quite a bit in the two month span she was in Karakura Town, was now most likely dead – killed by her own brother. Byakuya did not issue the final blow, but Rukia knew that the amount of blood that had already seeped from his badly injured body made it highly unlikely he would survive.

She didn't appreciate Byakuya's coldness, his lack of eye-contact, his…uncaring nature. The death of Ichigo Kurosaki by his hands made Rukia go from ambivalence to downright loathing of the man who never had an interest in her.

Rukia was kept isolated in her cell much of the time. Her only company was the occasional visit by Yamada Hanataro, who brought her food and cleaned her cell, and Renji who proceeded to tease her and tell her how stupid she was to do what she did.

Over the first few days she was back, Rukia would often banter back and forth with Renji when he checked on her. She teased him about his new rank – a rank she didn't even know he had attained until that chilly night he had appeared by Byakuya's side to come retrieve her. His tattooed eyebrows were also fair game for the smart-mouthed, petite Shinigami.

Unbeknownst to Rukia, Byakuya did monitor her though he did not show his face to her often. He noted that she seemed happier than she had been in a very long time – more so than at any time he had known her. And that was despite the fact that she knew she faced a possible death sentence for what she had done. She was downright spunky. _Is this how Rukia was before I came into her life? Before I fulfilled Hisana's dying wish?_

When talking with Renji, Rukia felt at ease. It was almost as though the last 50 years flashed by in an instant. She was instantly comfortable with her old best friend and lover from so long ago.

It was during one of these visits that Renji brought up that her brother was probably trying to get her off easy. "You know, Kuchiki-taicho is probably pleading for clemency even as we speak!"

Her only reply was "I doubt that."

"How can you say that?" asked Renji. "A man with that much pride would never stand by while his own sister faced a death sentence."

"You are correct about that," said Rukia. "I'm sure he would rather kill me himself."

Rukia looked away so Renji couldn't see her face.

"I know for certain what kind of man he is. I was adopted 50 years ago by the Kuchiki clan and in all those years, he has never once looked at me," she explained.

OlOlOlOlOlO

A few days later, Byakuya himself entered the room where Rukia was housed and interrupted one of Renji's visits. He had heard from Central 46 and needed to make sure Rukia knew what she was now up against.

"In 25 days, you will be taken to the central execution grounds where you will suffer the ultimate punishment. That is the final decision of the Soul Society."

Renji was taken aback at the final decision and how cold Byakuya was in telling his sister her final fate. Renji's eyes opened wide in disbelief. Rukia's face simply showed her acceptance and knowing of what had just been said. She hadn't expected any different – from Central 46…or from Byakuya.

"This is the last time that you and I will ever exchange words," said Byakuya directly to Rukia. "And you will not see me again until the day of your execution."

Byakuya left the two of them in the room. Rukia was like stone, simply staring into space.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya returned to Kuchiki manor that evening. He did not eat dinner nor did he take his usual walk through the garden. He made two specific visits that evening, both of which were to inform his loved ones of his final, yet conflicted, decision.

The first stop was to his parents' graves. The second stop was to Hisana's shrine in his study. He told them both essentially the same thing.

_I made a vow when I adopted Rukia into the Kuchiki clan that I would never break the law again. In making this pledge, the honor of the Kuchiki name would continue to be revered. I also made a vow to my dying wife that I would become a brother to Rukia and protect her with my life. Unfortunately, one of these two vows will now be broken - there is no way for me not to break one of the vows. I am here tonight to tell you that I have decided to uphold the law and enforce the execution order against Rukia. As harsh as I may feel the punishment given to her was, it is not my place to question the judgment that was passed down upon her. By choosing to obey the law, I will be serving my entire clan. By choosing not to protect Rukia, only Rukia and I will ultimately be punished. _

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia was soon moved to the Senzaikyu, a white tower connected to Sokyoku Hill, the place where she was to be executed. She was kept completely isolated – not even Renji or Hanataro were allowed regular access. Renji's last chance to see Rukia was when he oversaw the transfer of Rukia from his squad's holding cell to the Senzaikyu. It was during that transfer that he had the opportunity to tell Rukia the latest rumor. The Soul Society had been invaded by ryoka and it was rumored the leader had bright orange hair – the same as the human left for dead when he and Byakuya had collected her from Karakura Town.

Rukia was elated at the news for a split second before she started to worry once again about how many people would be injured or killed trying to save her. Little did she know she had more people on her side in the Soul Society than she had ever counted on. She also had no idea what evil was truly lurking in the Seireitei and some of the other events that had happened while she sat behind the sekkiseki rock in her isolated tower.

The day and time of her execution arrived and Rukia was escorted to Sokyoku Hill. She was ultimately saved by the orange-haired ryoka, Ichigo Kurosaki, who then passed her off to an obviously still-healing Renji Abarai so he could take her to safety. She was not aware that Renji and Byakuya had battled over her earlier that same day. Byakuya could only watch what was happening from his place in line next to the other taichos. At the first opportunity, however, he pounced at the chance to battle the ryoka who was once again blocking the path leading to Rukia.

This was not the first time Byakuya had met the orange-haired ryoka. Byakuya had failed to kill Ichigo when he sliced him back in Karakura Town. He failed a second time when he discovered him trying to break Rukia out of the Senzaikyu. Ichigo had been badly injured and was carried away by the Queen of Flash herself, Yoruichi Shihoin. This would be his final opportunity to face a few things for himself – Ichigo had come to the Soul Society for the express purpose of rescuing Rukia. Here he had known Rukia for only a few months yet he was willing to risk his life for his sister of 50 years. Byakuya felt a pang of shame about the whole situation. _Who is this boy who tries to rescue my sister while I sit back and do nothing? _

Byakuya had chosen which vow to keep and now he was going to fight this orange-haired boy over that fateful decision that he had made. Before this last battle started, Byakuya made a new decision within himself. Over the past few days, he had been obsessively conflicted about which vow he had decided to keep. It had been all of Rukia's rescuers, ryoka and Shinigami alike, who made him seriously question himself. _If the ryoka wins, I shall honor his wish that Rukia live and reverse my decision._

It was a fierce battle. Byakuya had underestimated this human on several different occasions. He belittled his Bankai release and could have lost his life right there if the Kurosaki boy hadn't backed off. Then there was that strange mask…

Both warriors had little left to give when Byakuya suggested they finish with one final attack. The ryoka agreed. Both of the Shinigami gave the last pass their all. But it was Kurosaki that ultimately won. Byakuya's zanpakuto had been broken thus giving Ichigo the victory.

_I will be true to my word. My decision is now reversed and Rukia need no longer fear me. _He told Kurosaki this as well - then he flash-stepped away. As he made his way back towards the Kuchiki manor, he silently hoped that he and Rukia could find some way to get past these last few days. His previous decision to uphold the law probably caused her great strife and their relationship, as miniscule as it was to begin with, was even less so now. He feared that she would hate him from this point on._ I promise - I will make it up to you Rukia._

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya was still moving towards his home when he felt it. _Something has changed. What is that - ? _But he never got a chance to finish his thought. On instinct alone, he turned back towards Sokyoku Hill.

As he approached, he saw – no, it couldn't be – _Aizen-taicho? But he's dead! Rukia!_

He had arrived just in time to hear Aizen telling Gin to end Rukia's life. Instinctually, Byakuya stepped in front of Gin's blade and took the slice for himself. He had made it in time.

Unfortunately for Byakuya, Gin's sword had come dangerously close to his heart. He still held Rukia in his arms as he collapsed onto the ground. She was screaming, asking him why he had tried to save her.

_I know you think I hate you, Rukia. I will make it up to you. _He reaffirmed to himself his earlier promise.

The three traitors – Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tosen, and Sosuke Aizen – escaped from the Soul Society as the other Shinigami could only watch. A huge tear had appeared in the sky and from within it, three light beams came down to the ground and took them away. For now, it was over.

Byakuya collapsed.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia cried.

Around them, the ryoka – now seemingly accepted by the Shinigami – and the 4th squad divided to attend to the numerous casualties who lay on the top of Sokyoku Hill. Unohana-taicho herself tended to a gravely injured Byakuya. Rukia was kept away by some of the other members of squad 4 so Unohana-taicho could do her life-saving work.

Unohana-taicho soon called Rukia to her brother's side. Byakuya had called for her_. I am going to die. I must tell Rukia the truth. Finally, the truth. She has the right to know the secret behind her adoption. _It was as if his entire secret web was now about to unravel. The guilt, the shame – he was desperate to make it all right.

She grabbed his hand. "Nii-sama," she whispered.

"Something has been weighing heavily on me," said Byakuya. "50 years ago I lost the love of my life, my wife."

"I know," affirmed Rukia. "The Lady Hisana. Many people who work at the manor tell me I look like her. I was under the impression that it may have been our similar appearances which spurred you to adopt me into the family."

_He's looking at me, _Rukia thought to herself as she spoke.

"Rukia, you do have a very similar appearance to her. But that is not the reason you were adopted into the family. You see, Hisana - was your older sister," said Byakuya.

Rukia gasped upon hearing this.

"She did not consider herself to be a good sister to you, Rukia. She abandoned you as a baby in Inuzuri. She told me she just could not care for both herself and for you - she was young and couldn't handle the situation. But Rukia, everyday that I knew her she would return to the Rukongai and search for you. Hisana loved you very much."

Tears started streaming down Rukia's face. For the past half-century, she had come to believe certain things about the Kuchiki clan and Byakuya. Now her beliefs were being stripped away as Byakuya spoke to her about Hisana. She couldn't believe all that had been kept from her. Yet, she still felt so guilty for hating this man so much for how he had been. She was finally beginning to understand the past – her past that she never knew.

Byakuya continued, "Hisana fell ill and her dying wish was that I find you. That I then be the older sibling she never was to you. That is why you were adopted as a sister to me. She asked me to protect you. But she also begged me not to tell you the truth. She was so ashamed at what she had done."

"Oh, nii-sama," Rukia held his hand with both of hers.

"I found you a year after her death. I immediately welcomed you as a Kuchiki though the other members of the clan objected. First with Hisana, then with you, I broke the law by welcoming a person from Rukongai into our noble home. I didn't care. But I did vow to my parents that I would never break the law again. When the order for your execution was issued I – I didn't know what to do. I had made two vows and one would need to be broken. I ultimately decided to keep the vow to my parents to uphold the law. I-I think I made the wrong choice. I can see that now."

He grasped her hands tightly. "Rukia, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

She sobbed.


	5. Chapter 5

The ryoka were being credited with helping to save the seireitei and were now accepted as comrades and friends. Over the next week, the Shinigami and the humans spent quite a bit of time together – and most everyone had some recovering to do after that battle against Aizen.

Byakuya resided in squad 4 for most of the next week. Rukia came to visit often and Renji hardly ever left his side. Although his outward demeanor never seemed to change, Byakuya felt that a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders as a result of his confession to Rukia. She was still alive and he had been correct in reversing his position. He had not been aware of the treason that was being committed by the three ex-taichos and how it was, in fact, Sosuke Aizen and not Central 46 who had ordered Rukia's execution. It was a crucial lesson learned.

_I couldn't have lived with myself had she died._

For Rukia it was a time of new beginnings as well. She was no longer the depressed, miserable Kuchiki that she was before she had spent two months in the world of the living. Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends had changed her life and showed her the benefits of true friendship. She could still hardly believe that they had risked their lives to come to the Soul Society to save her. They had stepped up when seemingly none of her own kind would.

Rukia finally made peace with the Shiba clan by personally apologizing to Kukaku and Ganju Shiba, Kaien's younger sister and brother. This pain and blame she had carried around for decades was now free from her…and it was also forgiven.

Rukia's human friends had assumed that because of everything that had happened that she would be returning to the world of the living with them. Upon hearing that, Rukia quickly corrected them. This was her home, not the one they came from. She was indebted to them for all that they had done for her, but she felt that things here would be different from now on. Renji was back in her life now and her brother had confessed and apologized. Everything was going to change - she just knew it would.

When Ichigo and his friends finally left the seireitei to return to earth, all of them knew that their good-byes would not be for long. It wasn't a sad moment at all - instead it was "until we meet again."

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia recovered from her injuries much faster than Byakuya. In only a couple of days, she was able to report back to the 13th squad and resume her duties. She missed her human friends, but was still very excited about what life would bring her now in the Soul Society.

It took Byakuya only a day or two more before he was moved from squad 4 back to the Kuchiki manor to complete his recovery at home. Unlike many of the other Shinigami, Byakuya definitely had the resources and staff to care for him should he ever fall ill or be injuired.

Rukia arrived home after a long day at work. She was met by Goro, who informed her that she was to report to Byakuya's bedroom at her earliest possible convenience. Rukia acknowledged the servant and went straight to her room to clean herself up. Rukia took a shower and put on a blue kimono before making her way to see Byakuya.

She tapped lightly on the door.

"Enter," Byakuya said aloud.

Rukia slowly opened up the door. "You asked to see me nii-sama?"

"Rukia, it's good to see your face," said Byakuya.

"Nii-sama, you just saw me yesterday," said Rukia. She blushed because the Byakuya of the last half-century would never have said something like that.

"I know. But considering I spend most of my time here in bed alone with nothing to do but read, your visit is a welcome diversion," he explained.

Rukia smiled. This was so different. In such a short amount of time, her brother had gone from someone she detested, someone who seemingly didn't care about her and wouldn't even give her the dignity of looking her in the eye when he spoke to her, to someone whose well-being she cared about and whose company she now didn't find utterly cold and uncomfortable. Rukia knew that this last week or two was just the beginning of their changed relationship, but it had definitely made her more optimistic about what she could expect from him in the future.

"So Rukia, tell me about your day. What happened in your squad today?" asked Byakuya.

Rukia was still standing at the foot of his bed giving her "report" when he interrupted her. "Rukia, feel free to sit by me while you talk. You should not consider yourself a subordinate to me while in our home."

"Uh, hai, nii-sama," she said, before sitting on the edge of his bed while she talked. "Ukitake-taicho was feeling well enough to come into work today. Kiyone, Sentaro and I have been so worried about him, especially since Aizen left the Soul Society. He took the betrayal so poorly. I did get to speak to him today and he said….."

Rukia went on and on about what she did during her day. Byakuya listened, but was distracted by his internal train of thought. As Rukia droned on and on, Byakuya thought about the conscious decision he had made to change his ways with her. He had learned his lesson and he would no longer care about her from arm's length. Byakuya had let her down, something he never planned to do again. He had now seen her strength and her joy and he vowed to let her be this way from now on – the way she truly was, not hindered by loneliness and sadness or the burden of nobility. When Byakuya looked at Rukia, he was surprised to realize that he no longer only saw Hisana's sister – she was now her own person to him – she was Rukia. Yes, she still reminded him of her sister and it did still hurt. But the hurt was to a lesser extent than even he thought possible and it was continually getting easier for him, even over such a short period of time.

"Nii-sama?" she questioned.

"Y-yes, Rukia?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Of course - just a little tired, I think. Why?" he replied.

"You were kind of staring into space there for a few moments," said Rukia.

"It's nothing," he replied. "Rukia, are you hungry?" he asked

"A little," she replied.

"Help me up then. Let's go get something to eat," he said.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The next few weeks were among the happiest in both of their lives. Rukia and Byakuya had spent decades of time living under the same roof and working together as Shinigami in the Gotei 13. Seemingly overnight, everything changed – and both of them never thought twice about it or looked back. This was just the way things were going to be from now on.

War was imminent and everyone knew it. Aizen wanted to destroy the Soul Society. At this point, the details were sketchy. The seireitei was still being rebuilt from the ryoka invasion and subsequent battles involving both the ryoka and Aizen and his fellow traitors. Others were still healing. But all-in-all life moved on as usual with life in the seireitei and in the Kuchiki manor.

Byakuya and Rukia had many discussions over this period of time getting to know one another – it was just like a new beginning for them. Dinner was always attended by both of them and Rukia even started walking through the Kuchiki garden with her brother every night. Rukia would ask her brother about her sister quite often and he was happy to oblige her with the story of their five years together. Byakuya wasn't nearly as nosy as Rukia was, but would listen to Rukia talk of her life including her friends from the world of the living as well as growing up and being best friends with Renji.

OlOlOlOlOlO

It had only been about a month when a messenger arrived at the Kuchiki manor one evening. Goro answered the door and showed the messenger in. Rukia and Byakuya were having dinner when the messenger bowed to them both and apologized for interrupting their meal.

"I have a message for Rukia Kuchiki," the messenger stated.

"Yes, I'm Rukia Kuchiki," she replied.

"You have been assigned a mission by Yamamoto-soutaicho and Hitsugaya-taicho. You and the assigned team will leave tomorrow morning for the world of the living. Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends have recently been attacked by Arrancar. Research and preparation for battle is needed so an advance team is being dispatched," explained the messenger.

"Who else is going?" she asked.

"Renji Abarai, Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Rangiku Matsumoto, and the mission lead is Toshiro Hitsugaya," the messenger said.

Rukia looked over at her brother, whose face still generally didn't change even when his emotions did. She did find that as she got to know him better that she had started to be able to read his ever-so-slight expression changes, a skill that not too many people possessed. She could tell that he was concerned about this new mission she would be going on.

"Thank you," Rukia dismissed the messenger. Then she turned to her brother. "Don't worry nii-sama. I won't be going alone - and Ichigo and his friends will be there as well."

"Just - please be careful, Rukia," Byakuya told her.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya had received a hell butterfly one evening at the manor after his work day had concluded.

"This message is to all the taichos and fukutaichos who are currently in the seireitei. A group of Arrancar, including one Espada, has attacked both humans and Shinigami in the world of the living. Injuries were sustained by several individuals, the most serious being Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki."

It only took that last statement to have Byakuya panic. _Rukia's hurt. What is going on down there? An Espada? It's too early to be the main invasion. We were told the Hogyoku wouldn't be fully awake until December. I need to get down there. I need to help Rukia._

Just as he was about to bolt out the door without hearing the rest of the message, he did hear, "No deaths occurred as a result of this battle. All those who were injured were successfully healed."

Byakuya hesitated at that last sentence. He took a deep breath. _She's fine_, he thought to himself. But the more he thought, the more he was concerned about his reaction…or almost-reaction. This had been the first time in a very long time that his emotions had taken over and almost made him act impulsively. Restraint and clear thought were two attributes of his that he took pride in. _What was I thinking?_

OlOlOlOlOlO

It was a few weeks later when Byakuya was surprised at dinner by none other than Rukia.

"Nii-sama?" she said as she poked her head into the dining room.

Byakuya stood up, as was the polite thing to do when someone else entered the room.

"I didn't know you were back, Rukia," said Byakuya.

"I'm not sure for how long and…it looks like I'll be staying in the barracks for the time being," said Rukia.

"What on earth for?" asked Byakuya.

"I've brought one of the humans back with me and we're going to train for the winter war together. We both feel that we need to get stronger for the battle," explained Rukia. "I've asked Ukitake-taicho to open up the training grounds behind the squad 13 barracks and he has agreed."

"Who exactly did you bring with you? That disrespectful orange-haired loudmouth?" asked Byakuya.

Rukia didn't take offense to her brother's question though she thought "loudmouth" was a bit uncalled for. She knew how much Byakuya appreciated manners and being respectful and frankly, Ichigo was greatly lacking in both of those areas.

"No, nii-sama. The human's name is Orihime Inoue," said Rukia.

"You've brought the girl," noted Byakuya.

"She was in need of a training partner…and a friend," said Rukia.

"I'm sure you will be excellent in both capacities, Rukia," said Byakuya. "You know our schedule here at the manor. Please come visit me for a meal or a walk if your training schedule permits."

"Hai, nii-sama," answered Rukia.

They enjoyed the rest of the meal together, which ended up being the only one Rukia and Byakuya would share before she went back to the world of the living. Byakuya had many questions about what exactly had happened in the few weeks she had been away, especially as it related to her life-threatening encounter with the Espada and Arrancar. She calmed his nerves and told him about how the attack came out of nowhere and even Ichigo, who was right there at the time, didn't have any time to react. It had been Orihime who had healed her and everyone else after the Espada left having lost five Arrancar to the small battle.

Byakuya had missed Rukia's presence, but life moved on and he was very much caught up in all the duties he had to squad 6 as they prepared for the upcoming war. He was very glad she had dropped by for at least one meal before he heard she had left once again to join the advance team in the world of the living once again.


	6. Chapter 6

Rukia and Orihime were abruptly jolted into returning to the world of the living when several Arrancar made yet another appearance in Karakura Town. Unfortunately for Orihime, she wasn't able to follow Rukia into the Senkaimon because she was human and did not have a hell butterfly to follow. Rukia returned to the world of the living as fast as she could and ended up saving the life of Ichigo Kurasaki once again. It seemed that she and her orange-haired friend saved each other's lives rather frequently.

However, in this case, it didn't work out well for long. Distracted and taken by surprise while talking with Ichigo, she found herself at the business end of a point-blank cero and was thankfully saved by Shinji Hirako.

_I hope Byakuya doesn't hear about this until I get a chance to tell him what happened. _This was the second instance of almost being killed during this assignment to the world of the living. She knew her brother was not going to be happy.

The next 24 hours were an absolute blur for Rukia. First, Ichigo had to be cared for having lost another battle – a task made more difficult because Orihime was not yet back in the world of the living. Then there was this Arrancar attack – the second in such a short period of time. And again, they left so suddenly.

Rukia made her way to Orihime's loft where the other Shinigami were in hopes of finding out what was really going on. What Rukia found out devastated her. Orihime should have been back by now. Ukitake-taicho was on the communication screen telling the team that she had left the day before after the walls in the Dangai had been secured enough for her to travel through. The working assumption was now that she was either kidnapped or killed.

It wasn't long before Ichigo made his way to Orihime's home. To everyone's surprise, he had been completely healed and he recognized some residual reitsu on him as belonging to Orihime. So she was alive and she had healed him. But it was then that the soutaicho ordered everyone to abandon Orihime immediately because it was obvious that if she had time to heal Ichigo, she had free will and had gone with the Arrancars willingly. She was now considered a traitor to the Shinigami. Those in the small apartment protested, but to no avail.

Just then a Senkaimon appeared in Orihime's living room and none other than Byakuya and Kenpachi Zaraki appeared to bring all of the Shinigami from the world of the living back to the Soul Society, by force if necessary. Rukia was disappointed that it was Byakuya who had appeared to force everyone back, especially when she had stood up to the soutaicho and told him she didn't want to follow his order to return. However, she really had no choice and ended up going quietly. The last thing she did before the Senkaimon closed was apologize to Ichigo for leaving him with this huge problem alone.

As Rukia walked back to the Soul Society in silence, she thought about what had just happened. _He was just following orders and most likely, he was not aware of all that had just transpired, _she thought with regards to her brother. She could not blame him for doing his duty, especially when all the facts were not made clear to him. She would definitely talk to him at the next possible opportunity – but she wanted to make sure it was just the two of them.

She got her opportunity immediately after stepping foot back in the seireitei. Most of the team who had been stationed in the world of the living were pissed at their orders to return and the apparent threat to use force against them should they have resisted. It showed a lack of trust and a lack of understanding. However, they knew better not to say anything lest they be punished by the soutaicho himself. Most of the team, as a result, chose to go quietly in their own directions when they arrived back home. No good-byes, no waves – just walking towards their respective squads' barracks.

Byakuya turned to return to Kuchiki manor. It was a cold turn - he did not speak to Rukia nor did he appear to be waiting for her before making a decision to just go. She stood there and watched the back of his head move away from her. The rage inside of her was building. How dare he?

She walked – or more like stormed – quickly towards his retreating figure.

"Nii-sama!" she shouted sternly. "Nii-sama!"

He did not acknowledge her at first, but then slowly turned to face her. "Rukia, if you really must shout, can you not wait until we are back at the manor?"

"As you wish, but let it be known that I do want to talk with you when we get there," said Rukia.

They walked back together in silence. As soon as the front door to the manor closed behind them, Rukia let her emotions get the better of her.

"Nii-sama, please tell me that you were just following orders when you ordered us back," said Rukia to her brother.

"Yes, as I said before, I was ordered to bring you back to the Soul Society, by force if necessary," said Byakuya in his typical calm tone.

Rukia just fell to her knees and wept into her hands. Byakuya just stood there looking at her. He did not like seeing her in this state, yet he was so inexperienced with what to do in such a situation. It had been over a half century since he had felt the need to comfort anyone.

"Rukia?" he said as he bent down and touched her back with his hand.

"Nii-sama, you don't understand. She is my friend. So are the others who the Soul Society just turned their back on," explained Rukia.

"Rukia, I'm sure there was a good reason - ," Byakuya started.

Upon hearing her brother begin to make excuses for the higher ups, she angrily stood up. Byakuya could see how angry and pissed she was, yet tears were still streaming down her face.

"No! I have to find a way to help them. I don't care what it costs me. Orihime was one of the humans who came to the seireitei to save me. I must return the favor. I owe her. I owe all of them," she said, but then she stopped dead in her tracks as she was about to walk away. Her back was turned towards her brother.

"You are wondering how you can do this and not being called a 'traitor' by the Soul Society," said Byakuya.

"Hai," answered Rukia in almost a whisper, her head bowed.

"Rukia," Byakuya said as he stepped towards her. "I brought you back here today because I was given orders by the soutaicho to do so. I have fulfilled my duty. Now that you are here, you are free to do anything and go anywhere that you wish," explained Byakuya.

Byakuya walked away towards his bedroom. She continued to stare at him as he walked away. She couldn't believe what she thought he just gave her implicit permission to do.

He turned to look at her once again before he could not longer be seen. "Make sure you and Renji buy cloaks before you go. I hear that the conditions there are brutal." With that he turned again and left her sight.

Rukia wiped away her tears with the backs of her hands. She couldn't help but grin just a little when she thought about what just happened.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Two days later, Byakuya sat at his desk looking over both his and Renji's paperwork. Renji had checked in with his captain before leaving. He said that he and Rukia were "going away" for a while and that he hoped it would be ok with Byakuya if he could handle the squad for the period of time he would be absent.

Byakuya, of course, knew what was going on and where they were going, but nothing specific was ever said aloud. "You two be careful," was the only thing he said. After Renji turned and left, he immediately couldn't help worrying about Rukia. He was aware that she was a Shinigami and what that entailed. But he also was aware that he couldn't protect her all the time. In an effort to keep her as safe as possible, he had already gone on the record with both Ukitake-taicho and Yamamoto-soutaicho that Rukia should never be a seated officer. Yet here she was sneaking into Hueco Mundo with his fukutaicho. Byakuya sighed at the irony of it all.

A hell butterfly flew in an open window and landed on Byakuya's forefinger.

"Kuchiki-taicho! You are to report to the squad 1 barracks immediately!"

"It must be time," he said aloud to himself.

Within ten minutes of receiving the message, Byakuya and several other taichos and fukutaichos were standing in front of the soutaicho in squad 1.

"The garganta located under Urahara's shop in the world of the living has been successfully stabilized. Taicho-level Shinigami can now successfully travel to Hueco Mundo through that gate. Go there immediately and support those who are already there!" ordered Yamamoto-soutaicho.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya, along with three other taichos and one fukutaicho, hurried to the world of the living and then to Hueco Mundo. The instant they landed in the sand, he immediately searched for Rukia's spiritual energy. His effort took longer than it should have and her reiatsu was greatly diminished.

His instinct kicked in, knowing that she was most likely in trouble and probably gravely injured. He used shunpo to get to her location in Los Noches as quickly as possible. He arrived just in time. For when he reached her, he was greeted by an Espada with his sword raised above an unconscious Rukia. He was about to make the final blow.

Byakuya stopped the Espada from swinging his sword and, in the course of the resulting conversation and ensuing battle, found out that Rukia had already defeated another Espada. Unfortunately, the battle had left her barely alive though even Byakuya found himself impressed that she could defeat an Espada under any circumstances. This new Espada who was now battling him, Zommari Leroux, had a released form that revealed several dozen eyes all over his body. If an eye 'marked' something, it would steal its free will. He tried to use this power on Byakuya's arms and legs to try to control him, but Byakuya was strong and immediately foiled the Espada's plan by slashing his own tendons rendering his traitorous appendages unusable. But then, Zommari went after Rukia – he used his controlling power to make her hold her sword to her own throat even though she was unconscious.

Something in Byakuya snapped when this happened. His face remained stoic, but there was an emotional screaming in his head that only Byakuya could hear. He performed kido on his own sister to restrain her from hurting herself on this Espada's orders and the battle between the taicho and Espada escalated.

It seemed like hours before Byakuya finally defeated Zommari Leroux. It had ultimately been the fact that Senbonzakura could release millions of petals vs. the fact that Zommari could only control a limited number of items that ultimately lead to Byakuya's victory. There was no way Zommari's eyes could lock on to each and every razor-sharp petal.

Zommari continued to speak to Byakuya as the battle wound down. Although Zommari continued to call Byakuya 'arrogant', it turned out Zommari was the true arrogant one. He despised Shinigami because he did not believe it was their job to kill hollows. The fact that Byakuya wanted to kill him was a testament to the arrogance of the Shinigami. However, Byakuya quickly corrected him. "It was because you pointed your blade at my pride," Byakuya explained. To a typical outward observer, one would have thought Byakuya was referring to his personal pride when in fact he was referring to Rukia.

Healers from squad 4 eventually make it to Byakuya and Rukia's position. Byakuya insisted that Rukia be treated first as she was close to death whereas he had severe yet non-life threatening battle wounds. When Rukia finally awoke, she was heartbroken and stunned to see the injuries he had sustained in defending her. She tried to get the squad 4 healer to see to his wounds, but Byakuya would have none of it while she was still in dire straits.

Rukia lay back and thought about everything she had just gone through. And it turned out, Byakuya had been her savior when all was said and done. Her love for her brother strengthened that day. He had now shown her though his own actions that he was willing to die for her.


	7. Chapter 7

Although Rukia and Byakuya had had quite a full day already, it was hardly close to being over. Rukia healed quickly and went on to battle an Arrancar named Rudobon alongside a few friends including Renji. Byakuya, on the other hand, ended up on the team that went against Yammy, who ended up being the number 0 Espada, the strongest of the lot, in his released form. Both Shinigami teams were victorious against their strong opponents in Hueco Mundo.

The war was ultimately won that day - Ichigo Kurasaki defeated Aizen right outside of the real Karakura Town that now resided in Soul Society. Unfortunately, to complete that task, he pulled out all stops and performed the Final Getsuga Tensho. What that single act meant for Rukia personally was devastating. Ichigo would lose his Shinigami powers and he would no longer be able to see or communicate with her.

Rukia stayed by Ichigo's side for days as he recovered from passing into unconsciousness almost immediately following his battle with Aizen. When Ichigo finally awoke, Rukia was right there by his bedside. He looked up into her beautiful violet eyes that were filled with tears, dreading this final moment.

"Rukia?" he said. "Is this…it?"

She nodded back at him.

"You're fading away….," he noted as he held his hand up to her face.

She didn't reply.

"I'm going to miss you," he said.

"Me, too," she replied. She bowed her head. Soon she was gone to him completely.

Rukia wiped her tears away. She had been trying to prepare herself for this moment ever since she knew it was going to happen. After all, it wasn't the end of the world as far as they were concerned, was it? She could still see him anytime she happened to be in the world of the living. They just wouldn't be able to interact while she was not in a gigai. Then again, now that the war was over, would she even have reason to come to the world of the living?

She made her way to Urahara's shop to use his Senkaimon to get back to Soul Society.

Within a few hours, she was back at Kuchiki manor. Rukia immediately went to her room and immersed herself in a warm bath. _It's over_. The realization finally hit her. Not only was the war over, but so was an important chapter of her life. She sat there thinking for a while about how she would need to move on to what was next – though a day or two of mourning what she had lost was certainly not uncalled for. That was the least she could allow herself to do.

Her next stop was the kitchen. She was hungry and it was not time for a meal, so she rummaged around the cupboards for something to snack on. She successfully found some leftover rice and meat and swirled them around together in a paste before eating.

Then it was off to the garden to spend some time alone with her thoughts. She went to one of her favorite spots – under a sakura tree by the koi pond right near the bridge.

Rukia sat there for a while not really keeping track of the time. When the sky started to turn pink off to the east, she figured she had probably missed the evening meal. _Does Byakuya even know I'm home? I hope he's not upset that I missed dinner. _

She noted the sky turning a purple color and the stars were starting to dot the sky. A lone figure walked across the bridge towards her. It was Byakuya.

"Good evening, Rukia," he greeted her.

"Nii-sama, I hope you don't mind that I'm here," she replied.

"Not at all. Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think so," she replied. "It's just been a hard…." she trailed off not really knowing how to end her sentence.

"I know," he replied. "We could all use a small break."

"Have you healed?" she asked.

"Nearly," he replied.

"That's good to hear," she said and smiled just a little.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said. "This is your garden after all."

"Rukia, you are a member of this family as well," he noted.

"Yes, nii-sama. But it will always be your garden," she replied.

A comfortable silence enveloped the two Shinigami.

"Are you back for good now?" he eventually asked.

"Yes, I believe so," she answered. "Ichigo has lost his powers just as Urahara said he would. I said good-bye to him earlier today. It's just so unfair – he saves the Soul Society as well as the world of the living and the price he pays is that he loses his reiatsu and we can no longer freely interact with him."

"You seemed to like him quite a bit, Rukia," Byakuya said, probing.

"I did. He was unlike anyone I have ever met before," she replied.

"You became a different person upon meeting him," observed Byakuya.

"Nii-sama?" she questioned.

"It was that annoying human who finally brought you out of your shell of sadness and despair. Not only that, he opened my eyes to how my previous treatment of you was not acceptable," Byakuya explained. "As much as it pains me to say it aloud, the two of us owe him much."

"I didn't think you had noticed how sad I was," said Rukia. "Until recently we didn't really talk all that much."

Another pause in the conversation took place as Rukia looked up to stare at the moon. She sighed.

"I can see that you harbor quite a few feelings for Kurosaki," said Byakuya. "Will you be alright?"

She knew exactly what he was saying. "Nii-sama, I am going to miss him very much – and I do love him very much. But to be clear, my love for him is because he is one of my best friends and always will be. He is still human and even so, he is very young. Nothing romantic could ever happen between Ichigo and me."

Byakuya was pleased to hear this from his sister – but, to be honest, he wasn't sure why. When he continually saw how she was with him or how she was when she talked about him, an air of concern washed through him. Ever since Byakuya opened his heart to Rukia after Gin's attack, he had grown to care for her a great deal and did not want to see her get hurt. He was convinced that attempting love between the two realms was just asking for loneliness and heartache. That is, unless she was to eventually give her Shinigami life up for good just as he knew Ichigo's father had done.. Byakuya had wasted 50 years with Rukia and now that he was determined to be part of her life, he didn't want to lose her now.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Life slowly got back to normal in the seireitei. Only regular assignments by low-level Shinigami were now required to Karakura Town and most of the officers of the Gotei 13 recovered, celebrated, and were now working towards the next major effort – filling the empty officer spots left by the traitors who betrayed the Soul Society. Other than Renji, no one else that they knew of had achieved a bankai, but most of the captains agreed that Renji was not ready just yet to be a captain. Byakuya did promise to start training him and, if successful, Renji would most likely be eligible for promotion in about a year's time.

All the taichos knew that the strongest among the remaining Shinigami were most likely the fukutaichos. There were a few others who were seated officers or who were stationed in the world of the living that could be considered as well.

The taichos held an all-day meeting in the squad 1 barracks to work out who they thought were the closest candidates to taicho. There was also the case of the long vacant fukutaicho position in Ukitake-taicho's squad 13. It would be decided then and there who would be brought up to fill the positions.

All agreed on who were the weakest fukutaichos or fukutaichos who just weren't right for the job (such as Isane Kotetsu, who was a healer and not a fighter). The taichos considered both Yoruichi Shihoin and Kisuke Urahara. They were discussed, but quickly dismissed – and not because of their previous banishment by Central 46. Central 46 was still unseated after the earlier massacre and bringing the two of them back to the seireitei would have been easy enough. Kisuke and Yoruichi were both valuable in their current positions and had shown no desire whatsoever to return to Soul Society on a permanent basis.

"So it's decided then," said the soutaicho. "Izuru Kira will be the eventual captain of squad 3. He has performed his duties with great merit in the world of the living. He has run squad 3 very well since the defection and has continually showed great leadership. Juushiro Ukitake will be his mentor and will be responsible for preparing him."

"But soutaicho, shouldn't I be working on preparing a fukutaicho for my squad and not the taicho of another squad?" asked Juushiro in response.

"That is an excellent point. One that I have recently made a decision about," said Yamamoto. "I believe that Rukia Kuchiki is now ready to be a fukutaicho."

Upon hearing this, Byakuya stood up in surprise. His face showed defiance for just a split second before it went back to his normal unemotional state. "Soutaicho, I believe that we discussed this already," said Byakuya.

"I have no issue with that appointment," said Juushiro nearly interrupting his fellow taicho. Although he had respected Byakuya's wishes that Rukia remained unseated, he had felt for a while that she was much too strong to be kept where she was. That decision was hurting both her and the squad and he vowed that if it were ever brought up again, he would voice his approval to promote her.

"Kuchiki-taicho, you cannot disagree that your sister has done an admirable job in several capacities over the last year. She was the main communication thread with our allies in the world of the living. She helped show Kurosaki the correct way to become a Subsitute Shinigami by staying by his side for months on end. She defeated an Espada and several Arrancar after invading Hueco Mundo. Though she has been gravely injured several times, her fighting spirit has never diminished. And she is strong, Kuchiki-taicho. You can no longer deny her this position. If you do not want her to be squad 13 fukutaicho, you must give me a better reason than the fact that she is your adopted sister."

Byakuya thought about everything Yamamoto just said aloud. He remained silent but let the words sink into his psyche. There was no going against this at this point - he recognized that now. "Soutaicho, please allow me one month to train her. If she is to be a fukutaicho, I would like to ensure she is ready," he finally replied.

"You have one month, Kuchiki-taicho," replied the soutaicho. "Now moving on to our last vacancy, there are two finalists for the position that we must discuss. Rangiku Matsumoto and Shuuhei Hisagi."

Toshiro Hitsugaya was the first to speak up both for and against his fukutaicho. "Rangiku Matsumoto is an excellent fukutaicho. She has excellent decision-making skills and although she can be a goof at times, she knows very well when it is time to take things seriously. She would make a decent taicho. Though I do feel it is my duty to warn you of a few details – for one, she does not like paperwork. Also, her focus on everyday tasks is mediocre at best…and she likes to leave work early if possible."

"Ahem," the soutaicho cleared his throat, presumably not liking that the candidate had a few too many flaws for his liking.

Komamura then stepped forward. "Matsumoto is a decent enough fukutaicho, but in my opinion, she is not ready for a taicho slot. Shuuhei Hisagi has not only run his squad since the defection, but he has had to lead the _Seireitei Communication_ publication. He has defeated Arrancar during the winter war which demonstrates his strength and cunning. He is an extremely reliable and mature individual who already commands the respect of those in the 9th squad."

"Komamura-taicho, you make it seem like he is a perfect Shinigami. Does he have any weaknesses?" asked the soutaicho.

"Of course," Saijin replied. "The biggest hindrance to him is his mental state after the defection. He idolized Tousen. Hisagi thought he could do no wrong and looked at life much the same way as his former taicho did. Suddenly his world was in turmoil because his mentor turned traitor. The guilt weighs on him heavily."

"Many of us were disappointed by the defection, Komamura-taicho," said Yamamoto. "Is it something he can overcome?"

"Yes, soutaicho. With new friendships and alliances, I believe forgetting Tousen will not be a problem for him."

"We will now vote," said the soutaicho. "Those in favor of Shuuhei Hisagi to be the eventual captain of squad 9, please step forward."

All of the taichos stepped forward, even Toshiro Hitsugaya.

"I am surprised to see you step forward, Hitsugaya-taicho," said Yamamoto.

"Although I think Matsumoto-fukutaicho has done an admirable job, I believe that Shuuhei Hisagi is clearly the better candidate," said Toshiro.

"Very well then, Shuuhei Hisagi is to be prepared for a taicho position. Komamura-taicho, will you be his mentor?" asked Yamamoto.

"Yes, sir. It would be my honor," said Saijin.

"I will send messages to the new taicho candidates about a mandatory meeting tomorrow. I would like for their mentors to be present as well. Kuchiki-taicho, would you please inform Rukia Kuchiki of the plans pertaining to her before the end of the day?" asked Yamamoto.

"Hai," replied Byakuya.


	8. Chapter 8

It was at dinner that evening when Byakuya broke the news to Rukia. He had actually been surprised that the soutaicho didn't want Ukitake to tell her the news. In reality, the reason he asked him to do it was three-fold – first, because she was his sister and he would definitely be seeing her this evening; second, because he was the one who had opposed it and would need to fully explain the situation to her; and third, because he was the one who was going to spend the next month preparing her for the new position.

Rukia actually made it to the dining room before Byakuya for once. She just sat there quietly waiting for her brother to arrive so she could be served her first course. She was extremely hungry, having spent the great majority of the day working with Sode no Shirayuki on her various dances.

Byakuya soon arrived and sat himself at the head of the table as he normally did. After he took his first bite of food, Byakuya dabbed the corners of his mouth with his napkin before speaking.

"Rukia, do you know where I was today?" Byakuya asked.

"Hai, nii-sama. Kiyone and Sentaro told me there way a day-long taicho meeting in the squad 1 barracks," she answered.

"Correct. We were discussing what to do about the unfilled taicho and fukutaicho positions. Since the defection we have been down three taichos and, as you know, Ukitake-taicho has been without a fukutaicho for entirely too long," answered Byakuya.

"Oh, is Renji going to be made a taicho?" Rukia asked excitedly, as usual more concerned about the prospects for her friends than for herself.

"That is not my concern at present time," Byakuya replied. "Do you know why you are not a seated officer?"

"Ukitake-taicho says it is because I am not yet ready," she replied.

"What do you think?" Byakuya asked.

Rukia hesitated a split-second before replying to his question. "If my taicho tells me that I'm - ," she began.

"Rukia," he interrupted. "Do not give me a canned answer. I want to know what you honestly think."

"Nii-sama, I'm not sure. I believe I am more skilled and more experienced than some of the officers in my squad. It has been quite a burden to me to be told that I am not ready while watching others surpass me in rank," she answered.

"I see," he replied. "Now it is time for me to be honest with you, Rukia. Please allow me to finish before you speak again."

Rukia nodded.

"You are currently an unseated officer because of my promise to Hisana to keep you safe. Seated officers are always sent on the more dangerous missions…," he started. Rukia looked like she wanted to interrupt him, but he reminded her that he wanted to finish before she said anything by holding up his hand.

"I am sorry that I have deceived you and made you feel like less of a Shinigami. I have seen what you are capable of and you are right, you could easily have been a seated officer if not for my interference. I want you to know that I can no longer stand in your way. Others have seen it and I have seen it. Effective in one month's time, you will be the new fukutaicho of squad 13," Byakuya said.

"In…one…month?" she asked, stunned.

"Yes, Rukia. I have asked for one month so that I might prepare you for your new position," said Byakuya.

"Oh Nii-sama! I'm so happy!" she rose from her chair and in a very un-Kuchiki-like fashion, ran over to her brother and squeezed him around his shoulders as he sat at the dinner table. Byakuya, of course, wasn't fazed and kept his formal demeanor and straight face the entire time.

When she stopped hugging him, she released her grasp and asked, "Nii-sama, why isn't Ukitake-taicho going to prepare me?"

"He will be preparing another," answered Byakuya.

"Oh, is it Renji?" she asked again, heading down the same path as before.

"Again, I am not at liberty to say. Patience, Rukia," he replied.

OlOlOlOlOlO

It was the next morning when Renji Abari, Izuru Kira, and Shuuhei Hisagi happened across each other on the way to the squad 1 barracks.

"Renji, what are you doing here?" asked Izuru.

"I was summoned by the soutaicho late last night," answered Renji.

"So was I," added Shuuhei.

"I wonder if we're in trouble or something," said Izuru.

"For what?" asked Shuuhei.

"Well, I don't know!" said Renji.

"Here comes Sasakibe-fukutaicho," noted Izuru. "I'm sure he knows something about this."

The squad 1 fukutaicho motioned for the three men to follow him inside.

"Sasakibe, what is all this about?" asked Renji.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Yamamoto-soutaicho asked me to bring you to the outside of the meeting chambers once all of you arrived."

"That's it? That's all you know?" asked Shuuhei.

"I'm afraid so," answered Chojiro.

The three fukutaichos followed their counterpart into the squad 1 barracks. They were led to an area outside of two huge doors past which they knew the soutaicho stood. They were only there for about five minutes before they heard Yamamoto bang his huge wooden staff onto the floor. The doors slowly opened to them.

Inside they saw Yamamoto standing in the center of the room facing them. Off to one side were Byakuya Kuchiki and Saijin Komamura. Juushiro Ukitake stood on the other side.

"You three, enter!" said the soutaicho firmly.

They walked into the room shoulder-to-shoulder knowing that this meeting, for whatever reason, was obviously being held just for them. The other taichos and fukutaichos were missing.

"I think we are in trouble," whispered Renji to Shuuhei, who elbowed him back when he heard him.

"Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira and Shuuhei Hisagi. You three have been selected as taichos-in-training for squad 5, squad 3 and squad 9 respectively," explained Yamamoto.

"What?" Shuuhei let out. Izuru's eyes went wide.

"You heard me! You three have been selected as the next taichos of the squads I just mentioned. Do not make me repeat myself. If you have any issues with this declaration, now is the time to disclose them," said Yamamoto.

The three of them, still a bit stunned by the suddenness of the declaration stood there and shook their heads from side-to-side ever so slightly.

"Very well then. One of the regular pre-requisites of becoming a taicho is a bankai. Renji Abarai, you have already achieved bankai. As such, your period of training is likely to be much shorter. Kuchiki-taicho will be your mentor and will show you all that you need to know to become an effective taicho."

"T-thank you, sir," Renji bowed.

"Izuru Kira and Shuuhei Hisagi, your journey to taicho will be a bit more complicated. You must both work on achieving bankai in addition to training in all the duties that a taicho must perform. Kira, your mentor will be Ukitake-taicho. Hisagi, Komamura-taicho will show you the way," said Yamamoto.

"The three assigned mentors will report on your progress directly to me at our regular taicho meetings. I expect great things from you three so please, do not disappoint me," said Yamamoto.

"Hai," said the three of them in near-unison as they bowed.

"You are all dismissed," said the soutaicho.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Renji could think of no one he would rather share the big news with than Rukia. Upon leaving the squad 1 barracks, he immediately used shunpo to makes his way to squad 13.

"Rukia!" he shouted at no one in particular. The squad 13 Shinigami stared at him as they walked by. "Rukia!"

Finally, Juushiro made it back to his squad and noticed the red-haired brute shouting out to his newly named fukutaicho.

"Renji, what is it that you are doing in my squad's barracks?" the taicho asked him.

"Oh, Ukitake-taicho, I was looking for Rukia. Do you know where she is?" Renji asked.

"As a matter of fact I do. I received word this morning that she will be spending her mornings training with Kuchiki-taicho in their private training area outside of the manor," Juushiro explained.

"Is that right?" asked Renji. He turned to dart out the door. "Thank you, taicho!"

Juushiro just stood there slightly shaking his head from side-to-side with a grin on his face. He knew how bad Renji had it for Rukia.

Renji made his way towards the manor just in time to see the practice between Byakuya and Rukia begin. He knew better than to barge in on the session – Byakuya was his taicho after all – so he simply stood there off to one side waiting to be acknowledged before saying anything.

Byakuya could see his fukutaicho out of the corner of his eye but chose to leave him hanging for the time being. At least that was the plan. He could also tell that Rukia was a bit distracted by Renji standing there. Finally, he was forced to acknowledge him.

"Renji, is there something I can help you with?" asked Byakuya.

"Hai, taicho. I was hoping to get a few minutes of Rukia's time to discuss an important matter with her," explained Renji. Byakuya knew exactly what Renji wanted Rukia for.

"Nii-sama, would you mind a pause in the training? Just for a minute or two?" asked Rukia finally.

"The two of you, make it short," said Byakuya.

Rukia immediately broke from her stance and ran towards Renji. Renji picked her up as he would a doll and threw her in the air.

"Whoa Renji!" Rukia exclaimed.

_Idiot_, was what ran through Byakuya's mind as he watched the two of them out of the corner of his eye, annoyed.

"Rukia, I'm going to be a taicho!" Renji exclaimed. "I wanted to tell you first. Well, I mean, a few of the taichos already know, but you are the first person that I've actually told."

"Renji, that's wonderful!" said Rukia. "I'm so happy for you. So what do you mean you are _going_ to be a taicho?"

"I'm not quite ready yet, but Kuchiki-taicho is going to train me," said Renji.

"Oh Renji, I'm so happy for you!" said Rukia, finally understanding. "I have some news myself."

"Does it have to do with why you are training here in the mornings?" asked Renji.

"Hai," said Rukia. "I finally got a seated position!"

Renji hugged his friend. "Congratulations! What seat are you? 7th, no 5th seat?"

"You are looking at the new squad 13 fukutaicho!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Your brother allowed that?" asked Renji.

"Yes. Give him some credit. He explained everything to me last night and he doesn't want to hold me back any longer," Rukia said.

"Wow," said Renji, not expecting Byakuya to ever change his mind about letting Rukia progress. Although Rukia was never cognizant of the situation, it was common knowledge among many of the seated officers that Bykuya had been blocking Rukia all these years. "Good for you then."

"Thanks," she said.

"How 'bout we celebrate tonight?" asked Renji. "Dinner?"

"Sure," said Rukia. "I'll tell Rangiku, Shuuhei, Izuru and the others when I get back to the squad 13 barracks."

"Um…..ok," said Renji, agreeing to what Rukia had just proposed. He hadn't intended anyone else to be joining them but Rukia obviously misunderstood what his intentions had been.

"Rukia!" shouted Byakuya.

"Renji, I need to go," said Rukia. "See you tonight."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia and Byakuya spent the entire morning training to improve the various Shinigami skills that he felt she needed to improve in order to make a proper fukutaicho. Her kido was one area they did not work on as he felt it was already superior to most of the other Shinigami with the exception of taichos. He sparred with her and worked on her sword work. He also had wanted to get her used to the idea of hand-to-hand combat should it ever come to that. Finally, they worked on shunpo – he desired to make her even faster than she already was. Shunpo was a fantastic skill that could help both offensively and defensively against any opponent.

It was mid-day when the siblings started to walk back to the manor together. They had exerted themselves quite a bit that morning and a good shower would be needed before they returned to their squads to begin the workday.

"Nii-sama, I wanted to inform you that I will be missing dinner this evening," said Rukia.

"Are you going out with Renji?" asked Byakuya.

Rukia noted just a tinge of negativity in Byakuya's question. "Is that ok, nii-sama?" By her question alone, he noted that he had lost a bit of composure and quickly reclaimed it.

"Of course," he replied. "You both deserve to celebrate."

"Thank you, nii-sama," Rukia replied.

"Rukia, I would like you to be at home for dinner tomorrow night," said Bykuya. "Please do not make any plans."

"Hai, nii-sama," she agreed without questioning.


	9. Chapter 9

Renji picked Rukia up from squad 13 when the work day had officially concluded. He knew that she would not be working late today because of her dinner plans.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"Junnian. Rangiku got a tip from Hitsugaya-taicho that there is a fantastic noodle house there. We're going to try it out," said Renji.

They walked outside of the seireitei and into the first district on the western side. It didn't take long before they found the noodle house in question. When they walked in, they were greeted by one of the owners who quickly showed them to a back room where Shuuhei Hisagi, Izuru Kira, and Rangiku Matsumoto were already sitting.

Rangiku stood up and gently embraced Rukia. "Congratulations, sweetie! I heard you are going to be a fukutaicho!"

"Uh, thanks," said Rukia.

"So it's a celebration all around," said Rangiku as she sat back down on the pillow next to the table.

"Huh? What do you mean? Because of Renji's promotion, too?" asked Rukia.

"You haven't heard?" asked Izuru. "Shuuhei and I are going to be taichos as well."

"They really did make some big decisions at that meeting the other day, didn't they?" said Rukia matter-of-factly.

"Isn't it great? I mean, we're all such good friends and we're all coming into our own together," said Izuru.

"Let's toast!" said Shuuhei as he handed a small cup of sake to Renji. Rangiku made sure Rukia had her own as well.

The evening had started out calmly enough with dinner and sake, but word got out and before they knew it, it seemed like half of the Shinigami came by to congratulate them. Both Ukitake-taicho and Kyoraku-taicho dropped by. Three of the fukutaichos also made an appearance – Omaeda Marechiryo, Kotetsu Isane, and Tetsuzaemon Iba. And of course, both Yumichika Ayasegawa and Ikkaku Madarame dropped in when they heard that sake was flowing.

Rukia drank a bit too much sake. Although she felt elated at the promotion as well as having such good friends surrounding her, her mind turned to Ichigo for some reason. She really missed him, especially on occasions such as this. Here she was getting this great honor, and she had no way of telling him. Rukia decided to get some air and wandered to the outside of the noodle house. She jumped up onto one of the barrels that was out there and looked up at the stars and the moon.

"Rukia?" said Renji.

"Hi Renji," she replied.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she replied.

He jumped up onto the barrel next to the one she sat on.

"You don't seem fine to me," he said.

"I was just thinking about some things," she said.

"Like?" he asked.

"You'll think it's silly," she replied.

"Try me," said Renji.

"I was missing Ichigo," she said. 

_Ichigo? Why is she thinking about that baka? _

"I'm sure he's fine," said Renji.

"I know he's fine," she said as she slapped him across his shoulder. "I just miss having him around, y'know? Meeting him was definitely an important turning point in my life."

"I'm sorry," said Renji. Rukia could kind of tell he was changing the subject.

"For what?" asked Rukia.

"For not being there when you needed me. I thought you'd be better off in the Kuchiki clan. I never wanted to let you go," he explained. "If I was there, you wouldn't have needed Ichigo to brighten your life."

"Baka," she mumbled. "Everything happens for a reason. You are back now and I have a good relationship with nii-sama. Although I wasn't happy all those years, if I hadn't lived it, I wouldn't be the person I am today."

Renji sighed and also began staring up at the moon and the stars. "They're beautiful tonight."

He looked at Rukia. "You're beautiful, too."

"You've had a bit too much sake, eh?" she replied.

"I can't call you beautiful? I used to do it all the time in Inuzuri," said Renji.

"That was a long, long time ago, Renji," she replied.

"I still care for you so much. It killed me when you became a Kuchiki and left me," Renji said.

"I know," Rukia replied. "It was hard on all of us."

She noticed that he was starting to lean towards her as he spoke.

"I - ," Renji started, but never finished. His mouth finally touched hers as it had not in half a century. Rukia instinctively reacted to his kiss and kissed him back. It felt good. It felt like it used to. She felt content, but then….something arose in her and she broke free. Her face pulled back from his.

"Renji, I can't," she said to him.

"Why?" he naturally asked. His eyes went from longing to understanding in a matter of seconds. "It's Ichigo, isn't it?"

"What? Now you are sounding like nii-sama. All these questions about Ichigo! He is one of my best friends! He is human!" She was getting upset.

"Well, if it isn't Ichigo, what is it?" asked Renji.

"I - ," she started. "I don't know."

"What kind of answer is that?" he was now getting upset as well. He had just been rejected and she couldn't even give him a reason.

"Renji, I - ," she started.

Renji popped down off of the barrel and went back inside the noodle house. Rukia bowed her head and felt a few tears leak from her eyes. She did not regret what she just did or said, but she did not want to hurt him. He was one of her best friends and she loved him, too.

She started to think about why it didn't feel right. Her mind raced back to when it was just her and Renji in the Rukongai and all those nights they spent together. He made her feel safe and loved. However, the situation had changed and she was now a Shinigami – they both were. She was also a Kuchiki and certain responsibilities came with that as well. No – that wasn't quite it. If he was _the one_, she would do anything to make it work. It was something else. She had moved on and become a different person. Was she even ready for a relationship? She wasn't sure. It would be nice to have someone so close that you could share everything with them. Rukia sighed. She just needed to find that person and she knew it wasn't Ichigo…or Renji.

OlOlOlOlOlO

In the 6th squad the next day, Byakuya sat at his desk doing paperwork. There were several times he called his fukutaicho into his office. Renji had been very somber each time he had seen him. His eyes were bloodshot and Byakuya thought he didn't feel well. Finally Byakuya had had enough and he questioned about his condition.

"Are you able to perform your duties?" Byakuya asked Renji.

"Hai, taichio," Renji replied. "Why do you ask?"

"You do not look to be well," Byakua replied.

"It's nothin'," Renji replied. "A bit too much sake last night."

"I assume Rukia is not in the same condition as you since you were out together," said Byakuya.

"She left early," Renji said. "I assume she feels just fine today."

Byakuya was happy to hear that. He was afraid, in light of their past, that things may have gotten a little out of control last evening between the two of them.

"Speaking of Rukia, I have some paperwork that needs to go to her in squad 13. Would you please deliver it to her?" asked Byakuya.

"Awww taicho, can't you send the 3rd seat?" asked Renji.

"Do you not wish to see her?" asked Byakuya, a little confused at the sudden turnaround in his subordinate. A day ago he was excited for her and wanted to take her out. Now it seemed that he didn't want to see her.

"It's - ," Renji started. "We had a bit of a - I think she would be better of not seeing me for a few days."

Byakuya's ire started to rise upon hearing that last statement. "Did you do something to her Abarai?"

"No, no! It's not that, taicho. I just – she hurt me last night," he explained.

Byakuya was taken aback a bit. He knew exactly what Renji was trying not to tell him. Byakuya knew Renji loved his sister, but thought that the feeling may have been mutual. Rukia had obviously rejected him last night for some reason. Though he acknowledged it wasn't his business, he still wanted to find out why. _I'll need to speak to her at dinner tonight._

"Very well, Abarai. You may send another officer if you wish," said Byakuya. "Dismissed."

OlOlOlOlOlO

_Hisana, your sister has been promoted to the fukutaicho of 13__th__ squad. I am very proud and I know you would be, too._

_I know I promised to protect her for you, but my protection may have been inadvertently hurting her. I could not hold her back any longer – it makes her miserable. Hisana, you've never met your sister. She is – she is a wonderful woman and a great Shinigami. She has a great personality and many people love her and care about her. She deserves to be recognized for her efforts and allowed to achieve what she can. _

_You asked me to be a brother to her but bringing her into the family brought mostly despair to her. You and I are like the parents of eagles who will not let their eaglet leave the nest – this is simply not realistic long-term. I must let her fly freely if I am to let her be happy. It is not your or my job to stifle her – seeing how happy she is now, I see that is what I have been doing. I know you meant well and Rukia, I'm sure, appreciates your intentions, but you are going to have to trust me in how I do things from now on. I promise that I will still do my best to protect her and fulfill your last wish._


	10. Chapter 10

The next day was a regular workday for Rukia. She never saw Renji so she suspected he had been avoiding her. It had now been a total of two days since she had seen him which, as of late, had been unheard of. Rukia shrugged it off noting to herself that she would need to clear the air between them eventually – if she didn't go to him, he most likely would not come to her.

After she was done for the day, she made her way home. She was unexpectedly met at the door by Goro.

"Miss Rukia, Kuchiki-taicho has asked that you report to your room immediately," he said.

"Sure. Is anything the matter?" Rukia asked.

"Not at all," Goro replied and smiled at her.

His smile made her feel a bit more at ease. She immediately went to her room. When she opened the door, she saw Masumi seemingly waiting for her in there.

"Masumi!" Rukia shouted, surprised, not expecting to see anyone in her room when she entered.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I frightened you, Rukia," Masumi replied.

"What is - ?" Rukia started to ask.

"Your bath has been drawn and this," she said holding up a nice, casual kimono, "is what you should put on when you are done."

Rukia thought back to Byakuya's words from yesterday. 'Rukia, I would like you to be at home for dinner tomorrow night. Please do not make any plans.' _I wonder what he's up to._

"Where should I go when I am properly dressed?" asked Rukia.

"Please go to the dining room. Dinner will then be served," replied Masumi.

Masumi left the room and Rukia undressed and immersed herself into the warm tub. She thought that many people would think it odd that this spot, where she was at this very moment, was one of her favorites. It was warm and comforting and after she poured in the bath salts, it smelled so nice, too. She could just soak and relax – and it gave her alone time to think about things.

Knowing that Byakuya was most likely waiting for her, Rukia kept this particular bath to only ten minutes. She quickly dressed in the kimono and made her way to the dining room. When she arrived, no food had been set out. _What - ?_

Byakuya was there standing behind his usual seat. "Good evening, Rukia."

"Nii-sama, where is the food?" asked Rukia.

"Come with me," he walked up to her and offered her his arm. She took hold of it with her two tiny hands and they left the dining room.

"Nii-sama, where are we going?" Rukia finally asked as they walked.

"You will see," he replied.

Byakuya left the manor and went outside into the garden. As they crossed the small bridge over the pond, Rukia then spied a table set for two located in her favorite spot in the garden.

"Oh!" she exclaimed upon seeing the beautiful sight.

"Do you like it?" Byakuya asked.

"It's perfect!" she replied. "You went through so much trouble…"

"This is to celebrate your recent promotion, Rukia. Although it will not take effect for a few more weeks, it is a sure thing and I wanted to do something special for you," Byakuya explained.

Rukia let go of Byakuya's arm and wrapped both of her arms around his midsection. As always, he kept his formal demeanor, but Rukia could sense him tensing under her arms.

"I'm sorry ni-sama. I know this is inappropriate for a Kuchiki. But we are family after all. I promise I'll never do it in public. I know this would embarrass you," she said.

Byakuya sighed. She had been taught that this type of touching even within the family was not to occur. However, he did secretly enjoy it. It brought forth more of who she was, the woman he knew she was and the woman he vowed to let be happy.

"See that you keep your word," was his only reply.

Byakuya held out the chair for Rukia to sit in. He then took his own seat. The sun was beginning to set and the torches had already been lit.

"What are we having?" she asked.

"We are starting off with a cucumber and egg salad," Byakuya told her knowing those were two of her favorite foods.

"How did you know…?" she asked.

"My fukutaicho is one of your best friends," answered Byakuya.

"Oh…right," she smiled.

"The cooks will soon bring out rice dumplings as well. I have hear you also enjoy them," said Byakuya.

"Hai, nii-sama," she replied.

"There are a variety of other foods being prepared, but I think you'll be most happy with the dessert," said Byakuya.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Patience, Rukia," said Byakuya. Rukia could have sworn she saw the slightest tinge of a smile across his lips as he taunted her.

They ate dinner over the next hour. The conversation was comfortable and casual, as it had been between the two of them for the past few months now. Mostly they discussed Rukia's new position and what Byakuya was planning over the next set of weeks to prepare her. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't all Shinigami skills; there was also a set of administrative skills that she would need to learn. For example, how the squads interacted with one another and generally what each of the seated officers under her would be expected to do (though she could alter that a bit at her leisure). She had already been given some administrative responsibility while unseated in the 13th squad, but that was a highly unusual situation. Rukia knew now that it was because her taicho wanted to give the experiences of a higher seat officer even though he couldn't promote her at the time.

Finally, it was time for dessert. The cook came in from behind Rukia so she didn't notice what was being brought at first. She caught her first glimpse as the dish was being placed in front of her.

"I hope you enjoy it, Rukia," said Byakuya.

"Chocolate ice cream with raspberry sauce?" questioned Rukia. "But how did you - ?"

"I called in a favor from a recent visitor to the world of the living," Byakuya answered.

"But nii-sama, the Dangai?" she questioned.

"Let's just say we had to make many preparations in order to effectively get something frozen back to the seireitei intact," said Byakuya.

Rukia took her spoon and started eating her ice cream while Byakuya took enjoyment in simply watching her. Byakuya could tell that Rukia had liked this special dinner he set-up for her. That alone provided him with the satisfaction that he had done well.

After dinner, the two of them walked in the garden together as the servants cleaned up the dining area. Usually, the two walked next to each other just as any friends or strangers would. However, on this night, Rukia grabbed Byakuya's arm and they walked this way the entire evening.

Byakuya had not expected Rukia to grab his arm as she had done earlier. On their walk from the manor to the garden, he had offered up his arm to escort her to where they were going. Now she grabbed it of her own free will. He internally questioned what she might be thinking by making this gesture. Was she just showing more affection as a 'thank you' for the dinner? Or was she just more comfortable with him as a person – comfortable enough to touch him uninvited? Is she more accepting of me? And less scared?

"Rukia, are you feeling well this evening?" Byakuya asked her out of the blue.

"Yes, nii-sama," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I know you were out with Renji last night and he was not well most of the day," answered Byakuya. _I wonder how much she'll open up to me about this._

Rukia's expression changed slightly and she sighed. "Renji drank a little too much last night and I'm sorry to say, I did not stay with him for the entire evening so he may have overindulged even more than I am aware of."

"He told me you left early and….that you hurt him," said Byakuya.

Byakuya could feel Rukia tense up at his last words. She didn't say anything after that last statement. Byakuya could not tell if it was that she didn't want to discuss private matters such as these with him, or perhaps she was annoyed that he was poking his nose where it probably didn't belong.

"Nii-sama, you do not want to hear about the drama between Renji and me," she finally said.

He stopped walking and faced her. He grabbed both of her hands in his. "Rukia, I am your brother. I care about you a great deal and I want to make sure you are alright. That's all. I know we are only now starting to become closer so if I am pushing too hard, please tell me. But I assure you, my intentions are ones of concern."

"Hai, nii-sama," she said. They turned and started walking. Again, there was a small window of time when nothing was said. Rukia was thinking of how much she should tell him, or the best way to tell him. She still wasn't sure how he would react and she did still love Renji.

"Renji cares for me quite a bit," she finally said to her brother. "We grew up together and even had a relationship before we came to the seireitei."

Byakuya had a gut feeling the two may have been closer than friends at some point in their lives but he was not aware of the specifics until just now.

"Renji will always be special to me. I love him so much," she said.

"So how did you hurt him if you love him?" Byakuya asked.

"Nii-sama, I have moved beyond my relationship with Renji. When we entered the academy, we agreed to be friends and classmates. That was the turning point for us. I have lived so much since my days in the Rukongai. As much as I love him, I already know he is not the one for me. He is simply one of my best friends. I like things the way they are now."

_This sounds eerily similar to what she said about Kurosaki_, Byakuya thought.

"The problem is, Renji still feels the same way about me as he did before the academy. For him, it is almost like those 50 years hardly existed. He is able to pick up right where we left off. I'm afraid I just can't do that."

"I see," answered Byakuya.

"Renji brought it up again last evening and I told him as such," she said. "He was hurt. I didn't want to hurt him, but I don't see how I couldn't have without being cruel in the long run by leading him on."

"Thank you, Rukia," said Byakuya.

"Nii-sama?" she asked.

"For opening up your heart to me," he replied. "It makes me happy to think you can speak to me about these matters."

Rukia smiled. It did feel good to be able to speak to someone about it and it had felt so natural with Byakuya. She had feared his reaction might be one of two polar opposites – overprotective or disinterested. Her heart settled when she realized he was just genuinely concerned about her and was available for her as a brother – and a friend.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya sat in his squad 6 office completing the paperwork that needed to be done in order to bring in the newest graduates from the academy to the squad. A shadow distracted him for a split-second and he recognized Renji's profile behind the door.

"Renji, do you need something?" Byakuya asked his fukutaicho.

Renji slid the door open. "Taicho, would it be ok if I left for the day?"

"It's a little early don't you think?" asked Byakuya.

Renji blushed just a bit. "Hai, taicho. I just – "

Byakuya didn't know exactly what was going on. He sensed from Renji's hesitation and timidness that it had to do with Rukia. Byakuya's instincts told him to just let him go.

"Are you finished all the work you need to accomplish for today?" asked Byakuya.

"Hai," answered Renji.

"Then you are free to go," said Byakuya.

"Sir," Renji replied before sliding the door shut again.

_I hope he figures out what he needs to._

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Renji walked out of squad 6's barracks and found Rangiku Matsumoto waiting for him outside.

"Shall we?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

The two walked to the Rukongai and found one of Rangiku's favorite watering holes. They took a seat at the bar.

"Thanks for meeting me," said Renji.

"Of course," she replied. "Anything for a friend. What's wrong?"

"Rukia and I are not on good terms and it's tearing me apart," he answered. "I thought talking it out to another woman might help me understand what exactly is going on."

"What did you do to her?" Rangiku asked.

"Wha? I didn't do anything. It was all her!" he obviously didn't appreciate that last statement.

"Now let me make that determination. Tell me what happened. And Renji, the more details you provide, the more I'll be able to help," she explained.

"You already know that Rukia and I grew up in Inuzuri together, right?" asked Renji.

Rangiku nodded. "And I knew you two were somewhat involved then as well, too."

"Right. We stopped all that when we entered the academy though. Everything was going fine until - ," he started the story.

Rangiku knew exactly where he was going with this part of the story. It was pretty common knowledge. "She was adopted by the Kuchiki's."

"…and I didn't talk to her for a half-century," finished Renji. "But, I never stopped caring for her. I regretted letting her go to that clan and…I always intended on somehow getting her back so we could be like we used to be."

Rangiku took noticed of that last sentence. _Things can never be the way they used to be. People change, Renji._

Renji continued, "That's why I trained so hard to become a fukutaicho. That's why I wanted my bankai. So I could prove my worth to her stupid brother. I thought I was there, but – "

"That's when she met Ichigo and was sentenced to be executed. Then the war broke out," said Rangiku.

"Yeah. It kind of put everything on-hold," Renji explained. "But now, we're finally at peace again."

"So go ahead and talk to her," said Rangiku.

"That's the problem. I did. But she doesn't want me," he explained. "At the dinner a few days ago, I….I kissed her. And she kissed me back at first. But she pulled away."

Rangiku could tell he was hurting. Whatever happened at the dinner was obviously bothering him. It was almost he had finally attained what he needed to in order to be able to properly pursue her and she just flat-out rejected him. _It's not her fault_, she thought. _A person cannot help who they want to be with._

"It's Ichigo, isn't it?" she asked.

"You would have thought so," he replied. "That was my first reaction, too. But she told me pretty matter-of-factly that she doesn't go for Ichigo and frankly, based on her tone, I believe her. It's not Ichigo."

"Then why…?" asked Rangiku.

"I don't really know. She never told me. I couldn't take it and I ran back inside," he explained.

"Ah. Now I know why you were drinking so much sake when you reappeared," said Rangiku.

"Yeah. Pretty much," he replied.

"Renji, I've got two things to tell you. First, you need to talk to her. Don't come on to her again, don't try to kiss her. Just talk to her and figure out what she's feeling," said Rangiku.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that," replied Renji. "What's the second thing?"

"You aren't going to like this one. Before you talk to her, you've got to prepare yourself for what she might say. You already know that she isn't in the same place as you. You and Rukia might never happen and that is something you need to be mature about. There may or may not be someone else. She might have a good reason, she might not. But if you love her as much as I think you do, you will need to be prepared to let her go so she can be happy."

Renji didn't reply right away. He pondered what Rangiku's second recommendation for a few seconds. He looked her in the eye and she smiled at him sympathetically.

"Thanks for being a good friend, Rangiku," he finally said to her.

She pulled him off of his stool and into a hug. "That's what friends are for," she replied.


	11. Chapter 11

"Good morning, nii-sama," said Rukia as she entered the dining room of the manor for their daily breakfast together.

"Good morning, Rukia," Byakuya replied.

Rukia was dressed in her usual Shinigami uniform, but she immediately noted that Byakuya was not.

She took her usual seat at the table and her plate of food was placed in front of her.

"Are you feeling alright, nii-sama?" she asked her brother.

"I'm fine," he replied. "I have a previous engagement today and will not be in squad 6."

"Oh, ok," she replied. She was obviously curious, but something didn't feel right about prying. If he had wanted her to know his business, he would have come right out and told her.

"You should report directly to your squad today. I have already informed Ukitake-taicho that we will not be training this morning."

Rukia walked alone to squad 13 and began to go about her usual day. Because she usually spent half a day working with Byakuya, her workload had been temporarily lessened and at lunchtime, she found herself with not much to do. _ It would be good for me to get some extra training in._

Rukia walked to the squad 13 training grounds, but found the newest members of the squad running through drills with the 4th seed.

She exhaled, a bit frustrated. Then an idea popped into her head. _I'll just go back to the manor and train._

Rukia made her way to Ukitake-taicho's office. She sat on the floor outside his door. When he acknowledged her, she gently slid it to one side.

"Rukia, it is nice to see you," said Juushiro. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Hai, taicho. I was hoping to get some extra zanpakto practice in today since I've caught up on all my administrative work, but the new graduates are using the training area. Would it be possible for me to use the Kuchiki training grounds this afternoon?" she asked.

"Of course, Rukia. I will send a hell butterfly if I need to relay any messages to you this afternoon," said Juushiro.

"Thank you, sir," she bowed and slid the door closed again.

_But first, back to the manor to get some lunch._

Goro was the first to see Rukia enter the mansion earlier than expected.

"Miss Rukia, you are home early today," Goro greeted her in the front hallway.

"Yes. Ukitake-taicho has given me permission to do zanpakto training on the Kuchiki training grounds this afternoon. But first, I wanted to get some lunch," Rukia replied.

"I-er, we were not expecting you for lunch. Nothing has been prepared," explained Goro.

"That's fine. I'm not above poking my nose in the kitchen," Rukia said.

"…and you aren't going to be looking for Kuchiki-taicho at all, are you?" Goro asked.

_Strange question._

"I don't think so. Doesn't he have plans today?" she asked.

"Um, yes, he does, but he is still here at the manor," explained Goro. "And he has asked not to be disturbed."

"Goro, I understand," said Rukia. "I won't get you or anyone else in trouble by looking for him." She smiled to the servant.

Rukia then made her way to the kitchen where she surprised a handful of servants with her presence. She put them at ease as well and they served her several small dishes of leftovers and ready-made items for lunch. Rukia just took a seat on a stool right there as she watched the servants scurry around preparing food. She thanked them and made her way out through the door to the garden, the most direct route to the training grounds right outside of the manor.

As she was walking, she heard distant talking. _That sounds like…Byakuya_.

She looked around to see where the voice could be coming from. Then she saw him and all the secrecy made sense. He sat on a pillow in his study next to a wardrobe that was open. She saw that there were candles and incense lit and that there was a picture frame there. Rukia guessed it was Hisana.

As Rukia took in the sight, she started to think about what was going on and why. _The door to the study is open to the garden_, she though to herself. _That door is hardly ever open._ _ It is probably because he thinks that he has his privacy and anyone who might be listening is away from the manor. Is today an anniversary? Her birthday? She still obviously means a lot to him if he is spending the day with her rather than working in squad 6._

She heard him talking again. This time she actually heard a few of the words as well as a sob. Suddenly feeling like she was intruding where she wasn't welcome, Rukia turned so she could return to her original plan and begin training with Sode no Shirayki.

Byakuya sensed someone's presence where he didn't expect anyone to be. He turned his head and saw Rukia walking away.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia finished training with Sode no Shirayuki a few hours later. She followed the same path back to the manor and went straight to her room so she could bathe and get ready for the evening meal.

She arrived at dinner hoping Byakuya was coming to join her. Her heart sank, however, when her food was served and she was told that she would be dining alone this evening. _It must be so hard to go through something like this alone, _she thought. _It has been decades since he lost her yet he still seems so despondent._

After dinner, she felt like taking a walk in the garden. It was a full moon and the stars shined brightly. She admired the beauty of the moon shining on the koi pond and all the ripples that were created each time a fish would touch the surface of the water. She made her way to her favorite spot and sat down under the sakura tree. Her thoughts were mainly of her brother and concern for his well-being.

"Do not fret over me," Byakuya said to Rukia almost as if reading her thoughts.

She jumped and grasped her hand to her heart. "Oh, nii-sama, I didn't hear you approach."

He sat right next to her under the sakura tree and she never heard him join her.

"As you might have guessed, today was the anniversary of Hisana's death," explained Byakuya.

"But why the secrecy, nii-sama?" asked Rukia.

"It is just a private matter," he explained.

"Nii-sama, remember how you thanked me the other night for telling you about Renji and I?" Rukia asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"Please don't feel that you can't lean on me as well," she said. "Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on from time to time. Who better than me?"

A slight smile of thankfulness came over his face. "Thank you, Rukia," said Byakuya.

"I'm serious," she emphasized. "You like to be the strong one. I get that. But everyone needs someone at some time or other."

"You are very wise, Rukia," Byakuya told her. "And I do thank you for opening up to me. I will try to be more open with you."

"Don't think I haven't noticed that we have been becoming closer friends, Byakuya nii-sama. I do hold that bond between us as special…," she explained not exactly believing she was opening up to him yet again. "And I hope it does nothing but get stronger."

Byakuya's heart warmed at such brave words coming from the mouth of his sister. They had come so far and he knew that just a while ago, she would never have talked with him in this manner.

"So, please tell me….more about my sister," Rukia said.

Byakuya looked down knowing that he was going into foreign territory now. He had never been so open with anyone except Hisana. And even with her, most of their discussions were about her or her troubles since she was so sickly.

"Hisana was the one and only love of my life," answered Byakya. "We were together for five years before she fell gravely ill and died in my arms."

"Where did you meet her?" Rukia asked.

"I was young. Still a teenager. As a Kuchiki, I already knew the path that my life would take. I would become a Shinigami like my father and grandfather before me. I entered the academy at a young age and graduated quickly. It was one of my first assignments…it took me to Inuzuri. When I saw her there, I just…..there was just something about her. I've seen lots of Rukongai girls before and not one had this effect on me," Byakuya explained.

"It was love at first sight?" asked Rukia.

"No, not exactly. I noticed her…enough to pursue her," said Byakuya.

"Pursue her?" asked Rukia.

"I would make return visits back to Inuzuri and looked for her in that same area. I learned she was a server at a local eating establishment so I would eat there every so often just to talk with her," said Byakuya.

"She only knew I was Shinigami. She didn't know what the kenseikan were or anything about the Kuchiki clan," explained Byakuya. "Eventually, I didn't need to pursue her at all. We just met more and more often. She eventually showed me where she was living – I couldn't believe the squalor."

Rukia understood where he was coming from having grown up in Inuzuri herself. She also couldn't believe that he would ever be willing to subject himself to Inuzuri for any reason let alone for a woman he hardly knew.

"It didn't take long for me to invite her to the seireitei. She became my guest at the manor which was controversial in itself. The family questioned me about who this plain girl was living under the Kuchiki roof. I couldn't answer them very well. I was just following my heart," said Byakuya.

"I can see why the family was surprised," noted Rukia with a jovial tone to her voice.

He looked at her with a questioning tone.

"Until recently, I have never known you to be a man to follow your heart without good logic to back it up," she explained.

Byakuya looked away and nodded in agreement. He obviously agreed with her assessment.

"She lived at the manor and we maintained a respectable distance," said Byakuya. "I courted her and eventually married her."

"But the family didn't like that, did they?" asked Rukia.

"No, they didn't. But they were willing to overlook it. I was already the head of the Kuchiki clan and they saw, rightfully so, that they weren't going to change my mind. Hisana and I had a happy five years together. She told me once they were the happiest five years of her life."

"Was she really ill all the time?" asked Rukia.

"Yes, she was not healthy. Her search for you didn't help matters, but I can understand why she did it. I've had regrets during my life – you above all else know that – but I can't even fathom the guilt she felt when she abandoned you as an infant. It is difficult to admit you can't handle a situation – and she did not handle that one well at all. And she never did get the chance to make it right."

"Oh, nii-sama, I'm so sorry I exacerbated her condition," said Rukia.

"No, Rukia. It is not your fault. I don't blame you one bit," explained Byakuya.

"I am sorry I never got to meet her," said Rukia. "Even just once."

"She was very much like you. You already know that you look like her, but there are many similar personality traits as well," said Byakuya.

"Tell me," said Rukia.

"You are both kind-hearted and think of others above yourselves," said Bykuya. "Both of you have difficulty with initial relationships, but once you form them the bonds are very strong. Loyalty must run strong in your family." Byakuya pondered for a bit. "From what I can tell, she was more emotional than you are – however, you are much stronger and are able to handle situations that are thrown at you much better."

Rukia leaned her head over so that it now rested on Byakuya's upper arm as they both continued to sit under the sakura tree. Byakuya was further comforted by this show of affection.

"Do you ever think you'll find someone like her again?" asked Rukia.

Byakuya sighed. "To be honest, I haven't really looked. Even after all these years have passed, Hisana's passing still pains me to this day. I don't know if I can endure any more heartbreak."

Rukia sat up quickly. "Byakuya nii-sama, shame on you. You are already looking beyond the happiness and already assuming any love you take will break your heart one way or another," said Rukia.

"I still feel it is too soon," he explained further.

"I think you need to take a chance. Perhaps you do still need a bit more healing – more than any man I have ever known," said Rukia.

"Did you just take a shot at me?" asked Byakuya.

"Nii-sama, please. Just promise me you won't be too stubborn. I care about you and your happiness. You don't have to marry the first woman you date. You can take it as slow as you want. I just want to see you get past her. She is important to you – I can see that. She is important to me, too – she was my sister after all. But she is gone. And life goes on. You deserve to be happy," said Rukia.

Byakuya turned his head and pecked Rukia on the forehead. "Thank you, Rukia."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

_Hisana, I don't know how to say this. I love you – and I know how much you loved me. Rukia and I continue to become closer and closer. I have not felt this level of closeness since you still stood by my side. She cares about my happiness just as I care about hers. She is now advising me to seek happiness once again. It's true that I have not been happy since you left me – and maybe I only needed to hear it from someone else's mouth instead of my own. I am praying that you feel the same way as Rukia does. That as much as you and I loved each other, that your death does not mean the rest of my life should be devoid of joy. She says you would have wanted me to be happy – that is what it means to love someone. I thought long and hard about this. I think she's right – if our situations were reversed, I would have wanted you to be happy as well. Please forgive me if I am wrong for wanting things to change._


	12. Chapter 12

In no time at all a month had passed and Rukia was scheduled to report to the squad 1 barracks for her official promotion ceremony.

She arrived and stood outside the huge ominous doors behind which she knew what awaited her. It was difficult for her to stay calm – after all, she had been waiting for something like this for so long.

When they finally opened, she saw all of the existing taichos standing in two lines facing one another. Behind them stood their respective fukutaichos.

"Rukia Kuchiki! Come forward!" yelled the soutaicho.

She slowly stepped into the room and stood at attention.

"Rukia Kuchiki! You have been appointed as squad 13 fukutaicho! Do you accept this appointment and all the responsibilities that it entails?" asked the soutaicho.

"Hai, Yamamoto-soutaicho!" Rukia shouted.

"Very well. Take your place behind your taicho," said the soutaicho.

Rukia quickly made her way so that she was standing behind Juushiro.

_Is that it? That was quick_, she thought. _What a fuss for nothing._

Rukia was full of adrenaline from the emotional build-up leading up to her entrance into the meeting room. Her mind raced. The next 20 minutes were a blur as she slowly calmed herself down – she didn't really hear much that Yamamoto-soutaicho was saying, but figured her taicho would fill her in if she needed to know.

Rukia looked around the room. This was her first time ever being here. She caught a quick glance of her brother looking at her. When their eyes locked, she nodded to him. Rukia could tell he was just wondering if she was ok. Her nod told him she was fine.

"Dismissed!" she finally heard and all the taichos and fukutaichos turned towards the door and started walking.

"Congratulations! How does it feel? You deserve it!" she heard from all sides. Rukia happily nodded and said "thank you" as the others greeted her.

As she made her way out of the barracks, she saw the red-haired fukutaicho standing there waiting for her.

"Rukia, can I talk to you?" he asked her.

"Walk me to my squad?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied.

They started walking together slowly back to her squad's barracks.

"I-I'm sorry, Rukia," he told her.

"For what, you baka," she countered.

"Aren't you mad at me? For….kissing you?" he asked.

"No, I am quite flattered," she replied. "I've had plenty of time to think about what happened between you and me since you started avoiding me…"

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," he interrupted.

"Renji, you took me by surprise. That's all. I wasn't ready for it. When you kissed me, it felt so good – just like it felt when we were back in Inuzuri," she explained.

"Then why did you stop?" he asked.

"Because – we aren't in Inuzuri," she replied. "What we were back then….what I was back then is not what I am now."

"You don't love me anymore?" Renji asked.

"Renji, you know I love you," said Rukia. "I would die for you. You are one of my closest friends in the world."

"But that's it. Friends," he said.

She grabbed his hand and held it as she continued to walk. He didn't pull away.

"It's hard for me to put my finger on it, Renji," she explained. "I know how you feel about me, but what I feel is just not…romantic. Not anymore at least. I just feel that I can't just pick up where we left off, y'know? It's almost like denying my heart that the last 50 years ever happened. I don't want to go backwards…I want to go forwards."

"I think I understand," he said. "And for the record, I love you, too, midget."

"Renji, I may not be your lover anymore. But you are very important to me and I hope you will stay by my side. I know friendship isn't what you want, but it's what I can offer. I'm not trying to hurt you – and it pains me to see you so distressed. I don't want to ever lose you again," said Rukia.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said as he let go of her hand and leaned down to hug her. He lifted her up and swung her around like a doll before putting her back on the ground.

Rukia put her hand to her head. "Baka," she said.

He grabbed her hand once again and they continued walking and talking.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Renji showed up outside of squad 10 right before lunch. As Rangiku left her barracks, she spied her good friend outside standing there.

"Renji, is everything alright?" asked Rangiku.

"Aw, I guess so," he replied. "I finally talked with Rukia."

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Not how I wanted it to go," he replied. "I promised to be her best friend forever."

"She didn't want a relationship, did she?" asked Rangiku matter-of-factly.

"No," answered Renji.

"Did you prepare yourself like I said?" she asked.

"I thought I did," he said. "It just hurts, y'know?"

Rangiku noted a few small tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. She could tell that he was indeed hurting, as strong as he was trying to be.

"Aw, hon," she said as she grabbed him and held him to her.

"It's ok," he said. "At least I didn't lose her again. It'll just take time for it to completely sink in."

"Let's go get something to eat," Rangiku suggested. "I'm hungry."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya had passed Renji outside of the squad 1 barracks this morning. He could tell Renji was waiting for someone – most likely Rukia. That concerned him considering everything Rukia had told him in confidence about her feelings with respect to Renji. Although he was concerned for her, he knew it was not his place to interfere. That was the old Byakuya, not the new one who now trusted Rukia to be able to handle herself.

Renji did not come right into squad 6 after the captain's meeting this morning so Byakuya could not effectively assess the situation with his fukutaicho. _Did she give in? Or is he not here because she finally gathered the courage to talk with him?_

By the time lunch rolled around, Byakuya had already made up his mind to check-in on Rukia. Although he refused to interrupt their private conversation this morning, there was nothing that said a brother – or friend – couldn't drop by to see how she was doing on her first day.

Off to squad 13 he went. He entered the main door and walked straight to where he knew the fukutaicho's office was. He stood at the door and observed her sitting on the floor, looking down at some papers in her hands. The office was a mess and there were many things lying around.

"Rukia," he said.

She looked up. "Nii-sama! You're here!" she said in a happy tone.

"Would you care to join me for lunch?" he asked.

"Thank you, nii-sama," she replied and rose from the floor. "I would love to."

"What are you doing anyway?" he asked.

"Ah. No one has used this office in so long that there are still items here from when Shiba-fukutaicho was still alive," she said referring to the last fukutaicho of squad 13. "I'm just going through everything."

"I see," Byakuya replied.

Rukia rose from the floor and patted the sides of her uniform to get some of the dust off. "Ok, let's go."

They sat across from each other at what Rukia knew to be one of Byakuya's favorite places to go for lunch when he is working in the seireitei. They always gave him a private room and it was a bit spendy so not many other Shinigami came here.

After they ordered, Byakuya decided to get right to the point. "Rukia, I saw Renji waiting outside squad 1 this morning."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" she asked.

"After what you told me, I was….concerned," said Byakuya.

"Byakuya nii-sama, you are turning into a worry-wart," she scolded him. "I am completely open to telling you everything that happened, but you know it could have waited until this evening. We do live in the same house." Rukia chuckled.

Byakuya blushed ever so slightly. He knew he was being a tad bit forward which was very much unlike him.

"Rukia, I must admit it was probably selfish of me to bring you here," he explained. "You are right that I could have waited until this evening, but as of late, your well-being is one of my top priorities. I would have worried all afternoon about it and that would have diminished the quality and quantity of my work. I thought this was the easiest solution."

Rukia chuckled again. She did understand this about her brother. He was a bit compulsive in that way.

"Nii-sama, everything is fine," she replied. "I finally worked up the courage to tell him exactly how I feel."

"So, you did not succumb to his advances?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "I have asked him to love me and protect me as a great friend. We will always be friends."

Byakuya exhaled. Rukia looked at him and smiled. "I appreciate that you care about me," she said.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The brother and sister went their own separate ways after lunch. Byakuya knew that he had a few documents to finish reviewing and sign-off, so he made his way back to his office in squad 6. He was happy to hear that Rukia and Renji would remain friends, but also knew it was ultimately Rukia's decision and not Renji's. He would therefore have to deal with his depressed fukutaicho while he most likely moped for the next few days. Byakuya wasn't looking forward to that. It wasn't that he didn't sympathize with Renji, but he just liked it when things ran smoothly and he knew exactly what to expect.

A pile of red hair then walked by his office.

"Renji," he said. The hair, and the body that it belonged to, reversed and stopped in the doorway.

"Hai, taicho," Renji replied.

"Where were you this morning?" Byakuya asked. "You were at the captain's meeting were you not? You never came back to squad 6."

Renji sighed not quite knowing how he was going to get around this without telling his taicho everything. "Taicho - ," he started, but stopped before anything else came out.

"I had lunch with Rukia today and she informed me that you were not feeling well earlier," said Byakuya coming to Renji's rescue. "I would like you to take the remainder of the day off and rest."

Renji just stood there and stared at Byakuya not believing this "out" had come his way.

"I do expect you to be ready to work tomorrow and be as dedicated and prepared as ever," said Byakuya. "Do you understand me clearly?"

Renji was very aware that Byakuya knew exactly what was going on. He could just tell by his overall tone during this conversation. He also realized that Byakuya was doing him a favor here by not making him work the rest of the day. Renji would at least get the evening to mourn his relationship – or lack thereof. He was thankful for the gesture and committed to himself that his performance would no longer suffer as of tomorrow morning.

"Hai, taicho. I will report in first thing tomorrow and rededicate myself fully to the squad," said Renji.

"See that you do," said Byakuya. "You are dismissed.

Renji walked away from Byakuya's office.

Byakuya finished his paperwork and found himself in the squad 6 training area the rest of the afternoon training with Senbonzakura. He started off by meditating with Senbonzakura across his lap. It had been quite a while since he had spent any quality time with his sword.

Byakuya opened his eyes and found himself standing in his inner world facing the spirit who resided in his sword. Byakuya's inner world was breathtakingly beautiful. Not having seen other's inner worlds, of course, he didn't realize just how much nicer it was than the average Shinigami. There were rolling green, grassy hills and fully blooming sakura trees all around. A small, unending stream could be seen snaking its way through the land.

"Senbonzakura," said Byakuya.

"It has been a while, Byakuya-sama," said Senbonzakura. "Have you not been well?"

"I have been fine," answered the taicho. "My apologies for neglecting you."

"You have not drawn me in some time now," noted the sword.

"We are finally at peace in the Soul Society and the world of the living," answered Byakuya.

"Even so, you have not been practicing much either," scolded Senbonzakura. "It was nice to train with Sode no Shirayuki for that small period of time, but even that was on for a week or two. If you want to stay sharp, you must train, taicho."

"I understand," answered Byakuya. "I will be training today."

The two men stared at each other saying nothing for a while. Byakuya walked towards the stream. Senbonzakura came up behind him.

"Is there anything else you'd like to share with me?" asked Senbonzakura.

"Such as?" asked Byakuya knowing his sword wanted to ask him about a particular matter, but knew not to push his master too far.

"In order to be fully effective, I need to know the details of your life. After all, I reside in your inner world. Things change here and I do not understand why. It can be distracting at times," explained the sword.

"Oh?" said Byakuya. "What, for example, have you noticed lately?"

"It has been quite a while since it rained here," noted Senbonzakura. "It used to rain often and now, it does not."

"Anything else?" asked Byakuya.

"There is this," said Senbonzaukura as he led his master to an area where he had never been before. It was especially lush and was surrounded by sakura trees and colorful gardens. In the center was a lone pedestal that held a brightly glowing white orb.

"What is this place?" asked Byakuya.

"It is relatively new," answered the sword. "I only recently found it myself. I don't think it existed before"

"What is that?" asked Byakuya nodding his head towards the pedestal.

"I'm not sure," said Senbonzakura. "I was hoping you might tell me."

"I have no idea," said Byakuya. "Have you ever seen it before?"

"No, not quite like this," said Senbonzakura.

"Explain," insisted Byakuya.

"There have been a handful of times that a pedestal will appear. It usually does not last long before it is gone. There is always a glowing orb placed on the pedestal, but normally it is smaller and shines much less brightly. Whereas the one before you now is a brilliant white, the previous ones all contained color," explained the sword.

"Not one was this big before?" asked Byakuya.

"Only one – the last one I saw," said Senbonzakura. "It was a deep blue and shined brightly. It remained approximately 5 years before shattering. After that is when the rain didn't stop and your inner world became like an ocean."

_It couldn't be…_

"How long ago did this blue orb shatter?" asked Byakuya.

"Approximately 50 years ago," answered the sword.

Byakuya lowered his head.

"Do you know something? What does this mean?" asked Senbonzakura.

"I believe this is what happens when…," started Byakuya.

"When what?" asked the sword spirit.

"When…I develop feelings for another," answered Byakuya in a low voice. "If I am correct, that blue orb represented my feelings towards my wife, Hisana."

"I see," said the sword. "So who is this white light currently in your life?"

"It just doesn't make sense," answered Byakuya.

"What?" asked Senbonzakura.

"There is no one," answered Byakuya.

"You have not gotten close to anyone as of late?" asked the sword.

"No…," started Byakuya. "Only my sister, Rukia. She and I have made amends and have gotten to be great friends."

"Your sister? The one who wields Sode no Shirayuki?" asked Senbonzakura.

"Yes," answered Byakuya.

"I do not understand," said the sword. "I should be able to sense the familial bond in Sode no Shirayuki as we train. But I feel no such bond."

"She is not my true sister," explained Byakuya. "She was adopted into the clan as my sister. We do not share the same blood."

Senbonzakura wasn't buying it, but did not believe now was the time to push this subject any further.

"Perhaps orbs also appear when bonds are formed with friends or family as well," justified Byakuya, fully knowing it was probably not true.

"Perhaps," answered the sword.


	13. Chapter 13

Byakuya finished off the afternoon by training alone with Senbonzakura in the squad 6 training area. When he was done, he made his way back to his private area in the barracks so he could clean himself up before making his way home.

He walked slowly, thinking about what had happened in his inner world earlier...

_There are only a few possibilities here. Orbs could be for friends and family. I do not believe that else there would have been many more over time to represent the others I loved. Could it be that there is someone I am in love with that I am not cognizant of? _He laughed to himself. _Now_ t_here's a stretch of the imagination…being in love with someone I don't even think about nor realize._ _The only explanation that makes sense is…._

He couldn't even bring himself to think the actual words.

_That's just ridiculous! She is my sister!_

But did you really ever see her as a sister?

_She was adopted into the clan as my sister because Hisana wanted me to be a brother to her._

Yet it was too painful for you to get close to her. She reminded you of your wife.

_Yes. That's true. I did not treat her kindly. I cared for her from afar. I did not provide her with much of what she needed._

Love? Support? Hope?

_Yes._

She was a stranger in your own house. Not a sister. Now that you are making amends, are you doing so as a brother?

_I do not feel like her brother. She calls me "nii-sama", but since we have grown close, we are more like friends…confidants. I feel I can tell her anything. I haven't felt like that since…._

_GASP!_

_I think that I may have feelings….for…..Impossible! It is simply not acceptable. _

The honest, questioning voice in his head shrunk back as the denial took hold of him once again. _She is my sister - and a good friend._

He then thought back to the last intimate conversation the two of them had, when she encouraged him to move on from Hisana. She had wanted him to be happy after seeing him pine for his late wife, her sister.

_I cannot put this off any longer_, he thought to himself as he called for a hell butterfly.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia and Byakuya sat in the dining room of the Kuchiki manor finishing up their evening meal.

The conversation stopped short when they heard voices coming from the hallway. Then an older man appeared in the doorway.

"Byakuya-sama, I am here as you requested," said the man. "I received the butterfly just a few hours ago."

"Wasaki, I'm glad you had the time to come," said Byakuya. "Please come in and close the door behind you. I don't need unwanted ears listening to us."

"Nii-sama, should I go?" asked Rukia, trying to respect her brother's obvious wish for privacy.

"No Rukia, stay. I would not be having this meeting if it weren't for your encouragement," answered Byakuya.

"What do you need, Byakuya-sama?" asked Wasaki.

"I have decided that it is time to once again seek companionship," said Byakuya.

"Byakuya-sama….really? I have been waiting so long to hear you say that again after the passing of your wife," said Wasaki. "You know there is still no heir and at some point you would need to marry once again."

Rukia smiled knowing that it was her encouragement that put him on this path. Although he was such a strong man in most aspects, he would need a lot of courage to move on from Hisana.

"Wasaki, I am telling you this in confidence," explained Byakuya. "I do not want word to get out that I am dating again. I am not blind to what most families – noble or not – would do to be connected to the Kuchiki clan. I want to start slow…and discretely. And, I warn you, do not push. This is more of a trial than anything else."

"Of course," said Wasaki.

"Let's begin with a list and profile of the women who might meet the requirements," said Byakuya.

Rukia listened with interest. She felt a little bad that finding another companion wouldn't necessarily be easy for Byakuya. He could, of course, bump into another love of his life. But since he was a captain, it wasn't likely. He was far too busy for such occurrences to just happen. Then there was the fact that he was now the head of the family. He may as well start with the ladies who were noble and would be considered acceptable by the family so that he didn't have to battle the elders as he had done with Hisana.

"You will have the information you need by tomorrow evening when you arrive home," said Wasaki.

"Again, Wasaki. I want discretion," said Byakuya.

Wasaki bowed and exited the room.

"Nii-sama, you are going through with it!" said Rukia. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Rukia, just the thought of this process takes my energy away. I hope it is all worth it in the end. I'm not looking forward to this," said Byakuya.

"Oh it will be, nii-sama. I promise you," replied Rukia. She was only hoping for his happiness.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

The next evening, instead of going for a walk as he normally did, Byakuya went to his study after dinner to go through the papers Wasaki had dropped off. He sat there at his desk turning page after page, not feeling satisfied whatsoever. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over as his mind wandered back to the white orb and what it meant.

Rukia knew what Byakuya's plans for the evening were and decided to check in on him after a while. She knocked on his door. "Nii-sama?"

"Enter, Rukia," he said.

"How goes the search?" she asked.

"Not very well, I'm afraid. Perhaps I was hasty…," he admitted.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"None of these women are even remotely interesting to me," said Byakuya. "They are either husband-hunting, fortune-hunting, boring, high-maintenance, inactive…" He sighed.

"Let me see," she said, taking the profiles out of his hand and flipping through them. Then she made a face in jest.

Byakuya saw the face and let himself grin at her. He knew she was just kidding around. It was so nice to have someone he could be with who was there for him…no titles, no formality, no having to watch what he said, no spying…he could truly just be himself with her. _I wish one of these profiles was like her_, he thought to himself. As soon as he thought it, he found himself a bit defensive. _I so enjoy being with Rukia. Is there a way… No, stop thinking that way, it's impossible._ He wasn't even willing to entertain it. If he even dared to think it, he stopped himself.

"Here's one that isn't so bad, nii-sama," said Rukia holding up one piece of paper. "What don't you try a date with her?"

Byakuya grabbed the paper and looked at it. "Yuka Saito," he said. Byakuya stared at the paper for a while. "Rukia, she is from a lesser noble house. You don't think she would just be looking for marriage to a nobler clan?"

"Nii-sama, frankly I can't see much of a difference between most of these women. I can't really weed out the ones who might be genuine vs. the ones who might be golddiggers. You have to start somewhere, so start with her," said Rukia.

"Ok, Rukia. I will set something up for tomorrow then," said Byakuya.

"Good for you," said Rukia.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia received a message from Byakuya the next day while she worked at squad 13. Instead of their usual dinner together, Byakuya would be inviting Miss Saito to dine with him instead. Rukia had expected this and had already decided to dine with 3rd seat Kotetsu after work that evening.

Rukia returned to the manor pretty late and went straight to her room to take a nice hot bath and relax. She changed into a light sleeping yukata and relaxed on the bed for a while. But she wasn't tired and decided to take a walk in the garden to pass some time.

As she wandered the garden, she noted that the sakura trees had started to bloom. She took in the sweet smell and noted that it really smelled like her brother - Byakuya always had the air of sakura about him. _It's probably because of his zanpakto_, she thought to herself. _After all, a zanpakto is a part of his or her Shinigami and his is essentially sakura petals. It's no wonder that is what he smells like._

Since she was thinking about Byakuya anyway, she wondered how dinner went earlier this evening. Was this woman going to work out for Byakuya? On one hand, Rukia was dedicated to his happiness - he had done so much for her. He had, in a way, become her project. She wanted to see him move on. He had cried over Hisana for entirely too long. But she also recognized a twinge of jealously as well. She had enjoyed the newfound closeness with her brother and loved being able to spend time with him. A new woman in his life would change all that.

_Stop worrying, Rukia. You have no idea what happened earlier this evening._

"Rukia?" said a voice from the dark in front of her.

"Nii-sama, what are you doing up so late?" asked Rukia. "And you are sitting in the dark."

"I am just thinking," he replied. "And I am enjoying the garden."

"I think if you were not in the Gotei 13, you would spend all day in this garden," Rukia replied.

She walked up to where he was and sat down next to him on a bench. "How was your dinner?"

"Tolerable," was his reply.

"That doesn't sound good," she observed.

"I'm afraid the company I shared did not have its usual charm."

Rukia blushed slightly knowing he was now comparing his date to her.

"I guess a second date will not be happening then?" asked Rukia.

"She had the personality of a doorknob," answered Byakuya flatly. Rukia giggled at his analogy. "Every time I asked her about herself, she turned the conversation back to me. She was as shallow as a puddle – there was nothing to her at all. Even the most basic questions were never answered…so much for having a meaningful conversation."

"It was just bad luck, nii-sama," said Rukia.

"I told you many of the women will be like this," said Byakuya. "They are trained by their families to find husbands who are nobler than they are. So they do everything to please the man. I find women with no interests and no personalities tiresome."

"Well, it's over now," she comforted him. "I'm glad you tried. You never know where happiness may lie."

"I don't know, Rukia. I don't want to waste my time. Perhaps….," Byakuya said as he was interrupted.

"Nii-sama, please try one more time. You and I can pick the next candidate together tomorrow and set something up the evening after," said Rukia.

"Very well. For you, Rukia. I will try once more," he agreed.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia and Byakuya went through the profiles once again and picked a new woman for Byakuya to dine with. Her name was Akiko Mikasa and her family was of a better status than Yuko Saito. Rukia noted that her profile actually provided some of her hobbies and interests, so she thought that perhaps she would be more open to discussing herself rather than always turning her attention to her brother. Rukia also banked on Miss Mikasa's status being high enough that her strategy would not be solely about marrying into the Kuchiki clan.

As they had planned, Miss Mikasa came to dinner two nights after Miss Saito had. Rukia, in turn, went out to dinner with Rangiku.

As had happened two nights before, Rukia returned home at a relatively late time. However, this time she walked straight to the garden. If Byakuya was once again moping there, chances are the dinner did not go well.

She wandered for a few minutes before she found Byakuya sitting in her favorite spot under the sakura tree near the bridge and the koi pond. When she saw him, she just bowed her head, defeated.

"Nii-sama, what happened this time?" she asked.

"Miss Mikasa did have several of the qualities that Miss Saito lacked. She definitely speaks more about herself. There was only one problem," said Byakuya.

"Oh? What?" asked Rukia.

"I couldn't get a word in edgewise," said Byakuya. "She was quite the opposite of Miss Saito. All she did was talk about herself – her plans, her family, what she liked to do. Rukia, I don't think that a woman who grates me this much just by sitting at my dining table talking is going to work out."

"I guess not," said Rukia. "So let's go back tot the study and…."

"No," said Byakuya. "I didn't care for any of those women. They all seem wrong for me."

"But nii-sama, isn't it better to have an imperfect woman by your side rather than to have no one?" asked Rukia.

"I do not have no one. I have you," stated Byakuya hastily.

Rukia drew back at that last statement.

"Rukia, you know what I'm referring to. You are my sister and one of _my_ best friends. I enjoy the time we have spent together after the war. I am no longer lonely or sad and you had quite a lot to do with it," Byakuya explained.

Now that Rukia understood a bit better, she approached her brother and hugged his waistline. "Nii-sama, I feel the same way. I'm glad that I can be there for you."

"Rukia, I promise not to pine for Hisana any longer," said Byakuya. "Can I please stop dating based on those profiles?"

Rukia giggled. "Hai, nii-sama. If it is that much of a burden on you, you should stop. I just thought finding a companion would make you happy."

"Rukia, I am happier now than I have been in 50 years," said Byakuya. "If I happen to fall in love like normal people do, so be it. But I consider myself lucky just to have you by my side for now."


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! I know I try very hard to not put a lot of author's notes on my chapters, but I have a question for you. I need your direction….

Usually I write M-rated fanfics because I write a few chapters that contain a lemon. So….for this story, should I convert to M and include a lemon, as usual? Or perhaps, I can label the lemon a "one-shot" and just refer those who want to read it to it and keep this story without it. I'm really feeling like a lemon will ultimately be necessary based on all the tension and angst going on. Anyone have a preference how I handle it?

Thanks for reading my story. I haven't been this excited about a fanfic in a while – I can tell because I'm about 3 chapters ahead of where I'm posting here (meaning, the story is flowing well for me). Thanks for all the reviews – I do read and appreciate every one.

Now…onto the story….

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Rukia?" said a voice from her doorway in squad 13.

"Hai, Ukitake-taicho," said Rukia, who stood up immediately when she saw her taicho was entering her office.

"Byakuya has done a fine job preparing you for your new position," Juushiro noted. "You have done well these first few weeks."

"Thank you, taicho," replied Rukia.

"There is just one thing I'd like you to concentrate on in the future," said Juushiro.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Keep working on your zanpakto training," he replied. "I'd like to see you get stronger. You have just become a fukutaicho, so bankai is not yet an expectation. However, there are others below the taicho-level who have achieved bankai and I'd like to see you set that as your eventual goal."

"Will you be training me, taicho?" she asked.

"I think much of your training will need to be alone with your zanpakto," said Juushiro. "I can help with your training, but as you know, I am often sick. I was hoping you'd approach your brother about this. He has one of the strongest releases I know of."

"I'm sure he would not mind additional training as long as his duties allow it," replied Rukia. "I will ask him this evening."

_Poor Byakuya is going to be stuck training me again._

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia sat in her usual spot at the dining table. She didn't say much at first, which Byakuya picked up on right away.

"Rukia, is everything ok?" he asked her.

"Ukitake-taicho suggested something today and I need to discuss it with you," she said.

"Go on," he prompted.

"He is happy with me as his fukutaicho, but he has set some long-term goals for me," she answered.

"Such as?" asked Byakuya.

"He would like me to strengthen my zanjutsu and work towards bankai," said Rukia.

"Admirable goals, and frankly, I agree with him," replied Byakuya. "As far as bankai goes, you are probably ready to work on it, but be prepared for the length of time it will take you to achieve it."

"I know, nii-sama. They say it takes years of work before bankai can be achieved. Then it will take even more to master it," said Rukia. "I was hoping you could….help me."

"I see," answered Byakuya.

"I'm sorry nii-sama, I don't mean to impose on your time. Nor do I want you to think of me as weak because I need help," said Rukia.

"Rukia, it takes a strong person to admit they would like help," said Byakuya. "A weak mind does not ask for help and fails nonetheless. With the continued peace in both the Soul Society as well as the world of the living, I can probably spend a few days each week with you. However, most of your training will need to be done with Sode no Shirayuki."

"That is what Ukitake-taicho told me," said Rukia.

"We will start tomorrow before dinner," said Byakuya. "I will pick you up from your squad when I am ready to return to the manor."

"Thank you, nii-sama. I will tell Ukitake-taicho of our arrangement tomorrow," said Rukia.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

The next day, Byakuya entered Rukia's office in squad 13 to walk back to the manor with her. He led her directly to the garden – and to her favorite spot.

"Uh, nii-sama?" she questioned.

"Yes, Rukia?" he asked.

"We will be training here?" she asked.

"I told you that much of your training will be done by Sode no Shirayuki. How often do you commune with your sword?" he asked.

"Not very often," she offered.

"Does she come to you in dreams?" he asked.

"Yes, at times," Rukia answered.

"Rukia, that is the first sign that you need to meditate more often. She needs to speak with you yet you give her no pathway. In turn, she finds a way via your subconscious mind," explained Byakuya. "Today, I would like you to sit here in your favorite spot and lay Sode no Shirayuki on your lap and speak to her about what you would like to accomplish. It is the first step in the long journey you will be taking."

"Hai, nii-sama," Rukia answered. She watched as Byakuya walked away.

Meditation didn't often come easily for Rukia, but now having heard from her brother that this was an important part of becoming better at zanjutsu, she was determined to get better at it. Normally, her mind raced and she thought of all sorts of things. There were many times she tried to speak with Sode no Shirayuki and the connection just never happened.

Rukia sat there under the sakura tree for quite a while trying to clear her mind and picture the spirit in her sword.

_Sode no Shirayuki, would you speak with me? I need your help. I want to be stronger… Oh damn, I forgot to give Ukitake-taicho that report! It was due today. Where did I put - crap! _

She opened her eyes and sat there stunned as she realized she was still letting her mind think about other things.

_Ok, Rukia. Concentrate. _

She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She thought about her inner world and what Sode no Shirayuki looked like when she appeared to her there. Her sword was a lovely pale woman with long, flowing white hair. But Rukia could tell that despite the visual frailness of her sword, there was more strength in her than she could even imagine.

Byakuya sat in a chair on a nearby porch secretly watching Rukia meditate. Soon Rukia stopped fidgeting and he could tell she was making progress in contacting her sword.

When an hour had elapsed, Byakuya made his way towards his sister. He knew that his presence would be sensed and she would soon come out of her trance.

As expected, her eyes fluttered open.

"Nii-sama?" she said upon seeing him standing over her.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It went very well," said Rukia. "As you explained earlier, I need to do this more often. Scolding me was the first thing Sode no Shirayuki did."

"Yes, you should meditate with your sword more often. The more often you do it, the quicker you will be able to enter your inner world," said Byakuya.

"How long does it take you, nii-sama?" asked Rukia.

"Only a handful of seconds," answered Byakuya. "But it is something I've practiced since I was very young."

Rukia couldn't even imagine being able to do that. It was all she could do to keep her mind focused.

"Did you ask her to train you?" asked Byakuya.

"Yes, I fully explained what I wanted to accomplish and she agreed it is time to begin," answered Rukia.

"Very well," said Byakuya. "It now seems that everyone is prepared to help you. We will train again in two days time. Now let's go prepare for dinner."

"Hai, nii-sama," answered Rukia.

As the two Shinigami walked side-by-side into the manor, neither one spoke.

In reality, Rukia was preoccupied with something else. Her thoughts returned to her inner world – the place she had not visited in quite some time. It was just as it had been before – snow and ice covered. It reminded her of a winter's day back in the world of the living. There was vegetation, but most appeared to be dormant and snow-covered. As depressing as this world might seem to most people, Rukia found it somewhat comforting and familiar to her. She wasn't cold at all nor did the snow bother her when it came to any sort of sparring she and Sode no Shirayuki had ever done there. However, there was something there this time she had never encountered before. Sode no Shirayuki did not address this new observation, but Rukia knew it had not been there before. Because she was trying to be respectful of her sword spirit, she chose not to bring it up. But it made her wonder what was going on.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Two days later, Byakuya and Rukia trained in the Kuchiki training area. Byakuya had them start just after lunch so that they could take some time to commune with their swords. This also was a brand new experience for Rukia – trying to meditate while in the physical presence of another Shinigami. Her head raced about what he was thinking and doing and feeling while she sat there miserably failing at her task once again.

She finally opened her eyes and looked at her brother who was sitting next to her. A light gust of wind swept past him and she smelled his usual scent of sakura. _This is the same smell as…_

She stopped her thought as her eyes gazed across his unmoving body.

_How peaceful he looks. I wonder how often he communes with Senbonzakura._

She sighed.

_He is so….beautiful._

The sight of him meditating, seemingly having no issue at all with anyone else's presence near him, calmed Rukia down. She took a few deep breaths and relaxed. Before she knew it, she was back in the land of snow and ice speaking with her zanpakto.

After concluding their meditation, the two Shinigami warmed up with some light sparring. Following that, Byakuya had Rukia step through Sode no Shirayuki's first two dances. He carefully critiqued her stances and suggested slight position adjustments that may make her attacks either faster or stronger. They ended their training with a second spar, this time with Shikai allowed. Of course, Byakuya took it easy on Rukia simply exercising her ability to respond to his attacks and counterattack in kind.

It was getting close to dinner so they went back to the manor to shower and prepare for the evening meal.

"Nii-sama?" said Rukia.

"Hm?" he replied.

"Will you be going for your usual evening walk tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, I was planning on it. Why?" he asked in turn.

"I just wanted to know for sure," she replied.

_I wonder what is on her mind._

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

That evening, Rukia and Byakuya did walk together through the Kuchiki garden. They were already about half way through the walk and nothing of any significance had really been discussed.

Finally, Byakuya just came out and asked. "Rukia, is there a reason you wanted to know if I would be walking this evening?"

Rukia blushed just a bit. She did have a reason that she wanted to talk with her brother, but it would be a personal discussion and she was still afraid that all that she had gained with Byakuya could be lost should she say the wrong thing to him.

"Hai, nii-sama," she replied. "My inner world has changed slightly and I wanted your opinion on it."

"Oh?" he said.

"Has your inner world has ever changed?" she asked.

Byakuya pondered for a moment. The answer was "yes", but he had to tread carefully lest she think poorly of him. He still pondered the meaning of the glowing white orb that resided in his inner world – he knew deep down what it truly meant, but could still not bear to admit it to himself let alone anyone else. Thus, he still desperately tried to explain it away. No matter what though, Rukia could still take the conversation poorly if he did not handle it well.

"My inner world has changed - very recently as a matter of fact," he explained. "However, I do not think it is an issue."

"But nii-sama, what does it mean?" she asked.

"What changed in your world?" he asked her.

"I-I'd rather not say just yet," she remarked. The change she still failed to mention was that although her world looked as it always had, it now unmistakenly smelled of sakura. She already thought it might have something to do with her brother. Rukia also thought that she should tread lightly in case something was implied where it should not have been should she choose to tell him any details.

"It was only a slight change though," Rukia added.

"I am of the opinion that a change to your inner world reflects something happening to you in this world," said Byakuya. "When I asked Senbonzakura, he explained to me how I affect my inner world. For example, when Hisana died, it rained until my world was a virtual ocean."

"I see," said Rukia. "Do you mind if I ask was recently changed in your inner world?"

"I do not think I am ready to disclose that as of yet," said Byakuya. "Perhaps when you are ready to share with me, I will reciprocate in turn."

Rukia really wanted to know, but completely understood how Byakuya couldn't be asked to discuss something that private when she, herself, wasn't ready or willing to as well. Her mind continued to think about the situation – should she take that last step or not? What if he completely misunderstood about the sakura scent in her world? Perhaps it didn't have anything to do with her brother at all and it signified something completely different.

They kept walking until they got to Rukia's spot next to the koi pond, under the sakura tree.

"Nii-sama, would you care to sit for a while?" Rukia asked.

"Of course," he replied.

Rukia nestled in next to Byakuya. He was happy to have her close to him though he did recognize the proximity of their bodies was a tad bit inappropriate. Rukia again leaned against her brother as she looked up at the stars and the moon.

A few minutes ticked by as nothing but silence enveloped the two Shinigami. The situation was anything but uncomfortable, however. They both felt a closeness and a feeling of contentment that had long eluded them.

As they sat there not saying a word, both thought about the recent changes to their inner worlds. They thought about how happy they were and the reason for the happiness. Finally, internally to themselves, they both admitted what they knew deep down all along…that the smell of sakura and the bright white orb signified the feelings they were starting to develop for the person now sitting next to them. However, neither one of them had any intention of acting on their feelings. Rukia actually felt a bit depressed over it actually because she knew there was absolutely nothing that she could do…chances are if she ever did admit to anything, Byakuya would find it disgusting and never want to be around her again. She wasn't willing to risk all she now had.

Byakuya started to stand up.

"Where are you going, nii-sama?" Rukia asked.

"I'll be right back," he answered as he walked away.

In only a few moments, he returned to Rukia and sat by her side again. This time when her head leaned against him, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"What did you get?" Rukia asked.

"Sake," he answered. "I wanted something to drink." He took a swig directly out of the flask.

"I never imagined you to be the sort to do that," she chuckled.

"What? I'm not formal all of the time," he defended.

"I know," she said. "But it is still a side of you not many people get to see."

He handed the flask to Rukia and she took a swig herself. "I have to warn you though…I'm a lightweight."

"I don't drink often either," Byakuya admitted. "I'm sure I'm a lightweight as well."

He grabbed the flask and drank more.

"Nii-sama?" Rukia said.

"Yes, Rukia," he replied.

"Was Hisana your first love?" she asked, again knowing she was entering personal territory.

Surprising enough, Byakuya answered without hesitating at all. "Yes. My first real love. I had some boyhood crushes – what adolescent doesn't? But she was the first one I actually fell in love with."

"Who were some of your crushes?" Rukia asked.

"The one that you can probably laugh about the most was probably Yourichi Shihoin," he said.

"You're kidding!" she said, taking another drink.

"Yes, she was a captain at the same time as my grandfather and was also one of my tutors. I did have a crush on her. But the funny thing was that it manifested itself as irritation and anger," he explained. "I didn't know how to properly express myself at the time. It didn't help that she constantly teased me."

"She knew?" Rukia asked.

"Yes, it was hard not to notice," he said. "I was very young and couldn't control myself very well."

"Kaien Shiba was my first love," said Rukia. "Though I realize it was completely one-way."

"I knew you were close, Rukia, but love?" Byakuya asked.

She thought for a moment. "Perhaps I don't even know what love is. If he was not my first love, then he was as close to it as I have been," Rukia explained.

"What about Renji?" he asked. "You two spent 10 years together."

"It wasn't love though. Not romantic love. He was a best friend…even a brother of sorts. Yes, it's true we were intimate, but for me it was more about the feeling of safety with a little bit of teenage curiosity thrown in," said Rukia.

"I see," said Byakuya.

"I have never told you this before nii-sama, but remember that Espada I defeated in Hueco Mundo? The one who almost killed me?" Rukia asked.

"Yes," answered Byakuya.

"He was related to the hollow that took over Kaien's body and had access to all of Kaien's memories. He could even take Kaien's form as we battled," said Rukia.

Byakuya was a bit taken back by this confession. It would be as if he were battling the likeness of Hisana. He knew that despite his mind telling him that it really wasn't her, that his heart would have a very hard time injuring or killing someone who looked like her.

"I didn't know," said Byakuya. "That must have been very difficult."

"It was," she admitted. She took another drink. "I'm just so glad you changed your ways with me. If I had to recover from that all alone, I don't know how I could have endured it."

A wave of guilt came over Byakuya. Although he was there for her after Hueco Mundo, he was still absent for all those other years. He imagined what it would have been like to come back to the seireitei after that and not have him to lean on. It would have been devastating for her.

"I wish you had told me earlier," he said. He took another drink.

"Rukia, do you still want to find love?" he asked.

"Hai," she answered. "Eventually. I'm in no rush. Do you?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"Even after Hisana?" she asked.

"I loved Hisana with all my heart for five years," he said. "I lost her way too early, but I regret nothing. There will always be some measure of pain for me, but I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I had never met her. That is a question I asked myself many times since I lost her. Is it better to love and lose or never to have experienced the love at all? Is it better to know or not to know what you have lost?"

"I hope I find a love like that someday," Rukia said.

Byakuya smiled at her. "If you are as happy with your future love as I was with Hisana, you will be one of the luckiest people ever."

"Nii-sama?" said Rukia. "Would you like to know about my inner world?" The alcohol in Rukia's system was definitely making her feel a little looser with her words. The conversation with Byakuya was making her feel more and more secure about their feelings towards each other. She knew he must care for her quite a bit to actually tell her some of the things that he was openly sharing. Perhaps he would understand if she told him.

"Only if you are ready to share," he replied.

"My inner world is one of snow and ice," said Rukia.

"That makes sense since Sode no Shirayuki is an ice zanpakto," said Byakuya.

"But the last few times I was there with my zanpakto," started Rukia. "My world now smells of sakura."

Byakuya was surprised by the revelation. He would have to seriously think about what exactly that might mean. But for now, his head was spinning a bit and he knew there wasn't a chance he was going to figure it out now.

"Nii-sama, I think it might have something to do with you. It smells just like you do," said Rukia.

_She knows my scent?_

Rukia kept looking at her brother waiting for him to say something.

"My world now has a glowing white orb in it where there wasn't one before," confessed Byakuya.

"A glowing white orb? What do you think it means?" asked Rukia.

"The last orb that glowed as brightly was deep blue in color, lasted for five years, and disappeared 50 years ago," said Byakuya flatly knowing Rukia would catch on quick.

Rukia gasped as she put it all together. The orb was his feelings for Hisana. _But who could this white orb be? Has he not told me everything that goes on in his life? _

Both Shinigami didn't say another word the entire evening, but they didn't move either. They sat there in a comfortable intoxicated silence as they pondered what had been disclosed this evening.


	15. Chapter 15

"Ow, my head," she said aloud to herself. "Where am I?"

Rukia slowly opened her eyes and noted that she was lying on her side in the same location as she was late last evening – by the koi pond, under the sakura tree.

She tried to sit up, but found something heavy weighing her down. She looked over her shoulder and noted a warmth behind her.

_Byakuya. He's still here as well._

Byakuya lay there sleeping behind Rukia essentially spooning her with his arm over her waist.

Rukia slightly lifted up his arm and turned over to face the sleeping taicho.

She gently touched his face with her open hand. Rukia smiled at her ability to show him this loving gesture while he was unaware of it.

Rukia once again lifted his arm and made her way inside of the manor. She returned with a simple blanket and laid it over his body. "Sweet dreams, Byakuya nii-sama," she whispered.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya opened his eyes and noted that he was not in his bed. _I drank a bit too much sake last night,_ he thought to himself. He remembered telling Rukia about the white orb and since nothing was said, he wasn't sure what she thought. _I should check on her later to make sure we are still ok. I hope she made it to bed. I wonder if she was the one who covered me with this blanket._

He slowly got up and made his was into the manor, to his own room. He collapsed on the bed and fell asleep once again.

When he woke up and finally made it into squad 6, it was just after lunch.

"Good morning, taicho," said Renji upon seeing Byakuya walk in.

"Sorry I'm so late. I…," started Byakuya.

"That's alright, sir. Rukia sent me a message this morning that there was an important issue at the manor this morning that you had to attend to," answered Renji.

_Thank you, Rukia._

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Renji made his way to squad 13 after work that evening. He didn't tell his taicho the other part of the message she had sent to her friend that morning – that she asked him to have dinner with her in the Rukongai.

"Renji!" she shouted as she walked out of her barracks to the waiting red-head.

"Midget!" he replied, waving to her. When she got to him, she gave him a nice punch in the arm for that comment.

They walked to a place right outside of the seireitei and sat down on the bar stools that were placed in front of the counter.

"So how have you been?" Rukia asked. I haven't seen you for a few weeks.

"Same old," he replied. "How about you?"

"Just fine," she answered. "I never imagined being a fukutaicho would be so easy."

"Speak for yourself," he replied. "At least your taicho isn't as moody as mine is."

"No, mine is sick all the time," she replied.

"Touché," said Renji. "I guess we all have something that we need to deal with."

"He does have me working with nii-sama to improve my zanjutsu. He wants me to concentrate on bankai," said Rukia.

"Bankai? That was quick," Renji noted. "You do realize…"

"Yes, yes – that it is going to take a very long time," she replied.

Renji put both of his hands up defensively. "Ok, ok! I just wanted to make sure you didn't think it was going to be as easy as it was for Ichigo."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to risk my life trying to get it in three days like he did. We're at peace now and I'm not in a hurry," explained Rukia.

"Good to know. I'd hate to lose you after all we just went through," said Renji.

"Baka," she said to his words of friendship. "So Renji, how have you been doing?"

"I already told you…I've been fine," he said again.

"Renji, it's me. A few more details, perhaps?" she asked.

"Well….," he started.

"I knew there was something you hadn't told me," she quipped.

"I've been hanging out with someone," he explained.

"And would this someone be a woman?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," he replied.

"Well?" she said. "Do you like her?"

"I think so," he said.

"Go for it then," she replied.

"It's not that easy," he said.

"Why not?" Rukia asked. "It's only as difficult as you make it."

"So says the woman who doesn't like anyone _like that_," he said making quotes with his fingers.

Rukia retreated just a bit upon hearing that last jab. Her eyes showed a twinge of guilt.

"Renji…."

"Rukia, I didn't mean it like that," said Renji. "I'm past that."

"Good," she said. "I was hoping it wouldn't be the elephant in the room for the rest of our lives. Besides, I think I have developed a little crush on someone. You think yours is difficult? You should try mine."

"Little Rukia has a crush?" Renji teased.

She blushed. "Knock it off."

"So who is it?" he asked her.

"There is no way in hell I would tell you," she answered. "Besides, I'm not even 100% sure myself."

"Mine is Rangiku," admitted Renji.

"Rangiku?" replied Rukia, floored. "I didn't know you had any interest in her."

"Well, she kind of helped me out when I was upset about you," Renji said, scratching the back of his head with his hand. "We really bonded."

"Glad I could be of some help," said Rukia. "So are you going to ask her on a date?"

"Yeah, gimme some time," he said. "My heart was broken not too long ago."

"Oh, she'll go," said Rukia. "No worries about that. She likes you a lot."

"She does?" asked Renji. "You mean, as more than just friends?"

"Probably," said Rukia. "We talk, too, and sometimes you do come up in the conversation."

"You guys talk behind my back?" he asked.

"Oh Renji, girl talk, y'know?" said Rukia.

"Oh."

"But I think you should ask her on a date. You two fit well together," said Rukia.

"Thanks," said Renji.

He slurped up some of the noodles that had been placed in front of him.

"I've been meaning to ask you something else, Renji," said Rukia.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Nii-sama has seemed a little out of sorts lately. I've been training with him a little and he seems a bit tired...preoccupied in a way. Is there anything out of the ordinary going on in squad 6?" Rukia asked. She spent a lot of time with Byakuya and knew this was not entirely true, but she had thought long and hard as to how to get Renji to give her the answers she wanted without divulging the reason for her asking.

"Lemme think. Nope. Nothing that I can think of," Renji replied. "Why? What do you think might be going on?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I thought perhaps there may have been someone else he was training. Or perhaps a lady-friend he doesn't want me to know about. Perhaps the soutaicho was having him do something extra for him. I have no clue. Just…anything out of the ordinary."

"Nope," said Renji. "I haven't noticed anything at all. He's in his office when I expect him to be and he's out on the training field when I expect him to be. Lady friend? Please, Kuchiki-taicho doesn't have time. I'm not sure he is really interested in anything like that either."

_So if that blue orb was Hisana, who is the white? Could it be me? Does he have those kinds of feelings for me? _She dared to think of the possibility…_ I can't come up with anyone else – he spends virtually every evening at the manor, usually with me. He has no time for anyone else. No! It's impossible. He is my brother. How can I even be thinking this way!_

"I just hope he isn't sick," said Rukia, covering her tracks a little bit. She didn't like asking questions that she knew not to be relevant just to get her friend to tell her about her brother's life away from her.

"I haven't noticed anything wrong with him," said Renji.

"Perhaps I am overreacting," said Rukia. "Just let me know if he seems to be coming down with something."

OlOlOlOlOlO

When she got home from her dinner, Rukia found Byakuya waiting for her.

"Oh, nii-sama, I forgot to send you a message!" gasped Rukia when she caught her first glimpse of him.

"I take it you are alright then?" he asked.

Rukia forehead slapped herself. "I'm surprised Renji didn't mention it to you since I asked him in the same note I sent about your morning absence. Renji and I had dinner together. I invited him."

"Thank you for that, by the way," Byakuya said.

"S-sure," she replied.

"Rukia, if you intend on skipping our evening meal in the future, please let me know. I don't want the staff working on a large formal meal if it is just me," said Byakuya.

"Hai, nii-sama. I'm sorry," she replied.

"Walk with me," he said, extended his arm once again. He knew it wasn't a romantic gesture per se, but it still gave him an excuse to touch her. Rukia took his arm and they immediately headed out to the garden.

"I have some news to tell you," he stated. "I have been given a mission by the soutaicho and I leave early tomorrow morning."

"What is the mission?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. Even if I could, I don't think I would – I don't want you worrying about me," he answered.

"Is there anything to worry about, nii-sama? You are one of the strongest Shinigami I know," Rukia replied.

"No, nothing to worry about," he replied. "It will be me and a few of the lower seated officers from squad 6."

"Is Renji going, too?" she asked.

"No, not this time," he replied. "He will see to things in my absence. I will be gone approximately 1 week, so please plan on not having morning or evening meals with me until I return. I will be gone when you wake up tomorrow morning."

Rukia was battling a tightening feeling that was surfacing in her belly. It was the feeling of worry, of the possibility of losing someone she cared about no matter how much her rational mind told her that it was unlikely anything would happen to him.

She stopped walking for a moment and bowed her head as her feelings of concern came to the surface. Her eyes started welling with tears that she fought hard not to let escape. Byakuya turned to her and lifted her face up with his index finger placed gently under her chin.

"Rukia, why the tears?" he asked.

"I-I don't want to lose you. I waited so long for you to finally accept me. We've finally become family and I can't bear to have you gone from my life again," she explained.

Byakuya smiled. He grabbed her head with both of his hands. He pulled her head forward and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be fine," he said. "I don't want to lose you either. So I will be back."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

The week without Byakuya gave Rukia plenty of time to think about her brother and what exactly was going on. Her head spun with all the questions she tried to answer in her head….

What did she want? More importantly what did _he_ want?

Why was she letting herself get sucked into this fantasy anyway? He was her brother, was he not? There was absolutely nothing she could do about that. Did he feel anything for her beyond the feeling of a brother towards a sister?

The one glimmer of hope that she held onto was the fact that they weren't blood-related. That was a fact – perhaps this was why she felt an attraction in the first place. If he were her true brother, she is sure she would not feel this way.

Has he given her any clues about his feelings? He obviously spent most of his evenings with her. They dined together every evening and usually took long walks in the garden. Hell, he even saw her during the day when he trained her. They were practically connected at the hip. There couldn't be anyone else. The white orb must be her just as the sakura scent must be him.

Byakuya had also become quite comfortable with her. Even she noticed that. There were topics he would discuss with her she was sure he didn't discuss with anyone else. Hisana was one example. His willingness to try to date after she encouraged him was another.

Rukia thought back to the situations surrounding Ichigo and Renji. People had jumped to conclusions about how she felt about both of them. They are great friends to her, but there was something else about Byakuya and Rukia didn't quite know why it was different. Was it his willingness to change to make her happy? Was it his willingness to finally open himself up to her? Why were her feelings towards him so different than any other man she knew? Perhaps it was a physical attraction. He was drop dead gorgeous after all.

As the week finally came to an end, Rukia had solidified her thoughts and feelings towards Byakuya. She most definitely loved him. However, she decided that, because of the situation, she would continue to be the best sister she could to him. If he was overt about wanting more, she would definitely not hold back – but she was not going to pursue anything herself. It was too big a gamble to lose all that they had now if she was wrong and he didn't feel the same way. Rukia only hoped she could hold back when she was around him – she didn't want to inadvertently express anything that "crossed the line" with respect to more than being siblings. For now, she would silently love Byakuya and only privately wish for more.


	16. Chapter 16

Rukia sat in the dining room eating an informal dinner when a hell butterfly entered the manor through an open window. Rukia stuck out her index finger so she the butterfly could land and give her the message.

"Rukia Kuchiki! You are to report to squad 4 immediately!"

_That's not good._

There were numerous reasons she could have been called to squad 4. But with Byakuya away on a mission, the possibility of him being injured was of her utmost concern. She quickly used shunpo to get to the squad 4 barracks as quickly as possible.

When she entered, the first person she encountered was the squad 4 taicho herself, Retsu Unohana.

"Unohana-taicho, what's going on?" Rukia asked.

"It's Kuchiki-taicho," Retsu replied. "He came in about a half hour ago and he is severely injured."

Rukia took off to find Byakuya's room as fast as she could, but Retsu grabbed her forearm and held her back.

"Just wait for a little bit," Retsu said. "They are still working on him. I'll let you know when he is ready for you."

"W-what happened?" asked Rukia. "What's wrong with him?"

"He put himself in-between some hollows and some of his men from squad 6," Retsu explained. "He received some deep gashes to both arms and he was run through on the right side of his chest."

"Oh no," said Rukia softly. Her hand raised to cover her gaping mouth.

"Rukia, his squad got him back here relatively quickly. I've determined that he will most definitely live. He will just need time to recover," said the taicho.

Rukia exhaled and pulled back. "When do you think I will be able to see him?"

"Give me two hours," said Retsu.

Rukia eyed the closest bench and sat down to wait until she could see her brother.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Not quite two hours passed and Retsu Unohana appeared once again in front of Rukia.

"Ready?" she asked the small woman.

Rukia nodded.

The two Shinigami walked down the hall and into a room at the very end. Rukia saw her brother on the small bed with virtually his entire upper body wrapped in bandages. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping.

"We've sedated him and will keep him that way for about two days," said Retsu. "He will then be sufficiently healed enough to let him come out of it. If he was awake right now, the pain would be nearly unbearable"

Rukia took a seat by his bed and broke down crying by his side. She could hardly believe how helpless he looked. Byakuya was always so strong and now, he was relying on others to nurse him back to health. He was completely helpless and she wasn't used to it.

Retsu simply stood to one side as Rukia composed herself once again.

"Unohana-taicho?" Rukia asked.

"Hm?"

"Would it be possible to move nii-sama to the Kuchiki manor as soon as possible?" asked Rukia.

Retsu thought for a moment. She smiled at Rukia. "You are always looking out for his best interests, aren't you, Rukia?"

"You know how he hates to be away from the manor and his own bed," answered Rukia. "I would just assume keep his demeanor as pleasant as possible during his recovery."

"I understand," said Retsu. "I'll tell you what. He spends the night here as well as the entire day tomorrow. If no additional interventions are needed, I will approve a transfer to the Kuchiki manor tomorrow evening. But you have to do something for me…"

"Anything," said Rukia.

"You will need to keep a close eye on him for me…at least for a few days. Knowing him, he'll probably try to over-exert himself too soon. Keep him as inactive as possible for at least a week. I will also check in on him a few times. Make sure he knows this," said Retsu.

Rukia bowed to the understanding captain. "Hai, anything you say Unohana-taicho."

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia spent most of the next day in squad 4 at Byakuya's bedside. Rukia's taicho in squad 13 was more than understanding about the situation and told her to take as much time as she needed to care for her brother. When the evening finally rolled around, nothing eventful had happened. Byakuya was still sedated and showed no change to his status. He had required no additional intervention, so Retsu agreed that a transfer to the manor could take place.

Rukia reported back to the manor to oversee the final preparations for Byakuya's arrival. She had informed the staff 24 hours ago of his impending arrival should nothing happen during his stay in squad 4. The staff was more than happy to oblige her by making all the necessary preparations.

In no time at all, Retsu and four large Shinigami carrying Byakuya on a stretcher arrived at the manor. Rukia showed them to his room and he was gingerly placed on his own bed. Several manor staff members were in there to help. The Kuchiki family doctor was there to receive him as well and all necessary instructions were exchanged between him and Retsu.

As she turned to leave, Retsu walked up to Rukia. "Take good care of him. His sedation has been discontinued but it will take several hours for it to completely leave his system. I expect that he should wake up in the morning."

"Thank you, taicho," said Rukia as she turned to pull up a chair by Byakuya's bedside. As all the visitors turned to leave, Goro turned and addressed Rukia, "Is there anything else Miss Rukia?"

"No, thank you, Goro. Kuchiki-taicho will be asleep the rest of the night and I'm fine for now. If I need anything, I will retrieve it myself," said Rukia.

Goro bowed and exited the room.

Rukia sighed. _Now_ _it is just a matter of him healing. _

She looked at his face. _He looks so peaceful_. She reached up with her hand and stroked the side of his face. _Byakuya, what happened out there?_

She grabbed the bandaged hand that lay by his side and held it. Though she believed the squad 4 taicho that Byakuya would be just fine, it still hurt to see him like this.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya's world was black. He could feel excruciating pain, especially in his chest and arms.

_Where am I? What happened?_

The blackness turned to a dark gray. Then to a light gray. Byakuya slowly fluttered his eyes open. He didn't move at first. He just stared at the ceiling trying to get his bearings.

_I'm alive. They must have gotten me back in time. This…is my room. _

He thought about the ambush he had survived and how strong the hollows were that they had encountered. His squad was not prepared for the onslaught that met them and he had already started to think about how to train them to make them stronger – both physically and mentally – for the next time. He left Renji behind for a reason – to both run the remainder of the squad here while he was absent but also because he thought he could handle it with just a few lower ranked members. He regretted that decision now. Renji was an impressive fighter and the situation would not have degraded as it had if he had been along. The failure had nothing to do with him per se – it was just that the squad members he had chosen to come along were not fully capable of handling the situation.

But that was in the past now. Byakuya would just have to learn from his mistake.

As the squad battled one medium-sized hollow, several more, stronger hollows appeared and split up the squad. It was an ambush. Byakuya handled the hollows well, but he looked over his shoulder to see a younger squad member about to die at the hands of a hollow. The hollow had blades in place of fingers and one of the blades was aimed right for the young woman. Byakuya barely reached her in time to push her out of the way and take the strike himself. He was just lucky it went through the right side of his chest and not the left side.

As he lost blood and started to lose consciousness, he could remember thinking of only one thing: Rukia. The person who made him happiest and who he definitively told he would return. He was not prepared to break that promise.

Byakuya's thinking about the skirmish was interrupted by a strange feeling on his right side. It felt….warm.

He moved his right hand slightly. There was definitely something there.

He gingerly looked down. _Rukia_. She was asleep next to him on his bed. She was curled up – almost cat-like next to him. She was facing away from him and her back was just barely touching his side.

Byakuya smiled. He lifted up his right hand and gently placed it on her shoulder – the only part of her body he could reach. He lay there for while just enjoying the closeness to her. That feeling of comfort that she gave him had returned.

After laying there for a while, he heard her starting to wake up. Her breathing changed and she twitched a little. Pretty soon, she pushed herself up so that she leaned on her hip. She let her arms reach up to stretch as she let out a yawn.

"Good morning, Rukia," said Byakuya.

She hadn't been expecting that. Rukia jumped out of the bed and faced her brother.

"Nii-sama, I'm so sorry. I was sitting here by your bedside last night and I didn't want to leave. So I just figured I would just take a small sliver of the bed. I didn't mean to move that close to you…."

"It's alright, Rukia," said Byakuya. "I appreciate the sentiment."

He moved a little bit too far and let out a groan as he grabbed his chest.

"Please, nii-sama, don't move too much," said Rukia.

"How did I get home?" he asked her.

"Your squad brought you back and squad 4 patched you up. I thought you would want to be brought back to the manor so I made arrangements with Unohana-taicho," Rukia explained.

"Thank you, Rukia. You do know me very well. I appreciate waking up in my own bed after that ordeal," said Byakuya.

"Unohana-taicho gave me strict orders – you are to take it easy for a little while. She will be checking in on you a few times as well," said Rukia.

"Am I allowed to have something to eat?" he asked a little sarcastically. "It has been a while since I've had a meal and I am starving."

Rukia smiled. "I will go ask Goro to bring something up."

She bolted for the door and disappeared from Byakuya's sight.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia and Byakuya spent the entire day together. It wasn't an exciting day. Byakuya still felt a great deal of pain from his injuries and hardly moved at all. Rukia simply kept him company – they talked, played a few games, and she even read to him.

As he sat there listening to her, he vowed that he could no longer afford to be a coward with respect to her. _I could have died without having ever shared my feelings with her. That is totally unacceptable. As soon as I have recovered, I am going to find a way to make this possible. I am not going to wait anymore._

Rukia noticed that Bykuya's eyes were getting heavy.

"Nii-sama, I think it is time for you to get some rest," said Rukia. "The more rest you get, the faster you will heal."

"Yes, it is time for sleep," agreed Byakuya.

Rukia slipped off of the bed and stood facing her brother. She stared at him, but didn't move.

Byakuya noticed her hesitation. "Rukia?"

Rukia bowed her head. "Nii-sama, I do not wish to leave. I almost lost you and now…I-I just don't want to be away from you."

He smiled at her. "Then stay, Rukia," he replied. "Come," he said as he nodded towards the empty space beside him.

She crawled back on the bed and curled up next to him once again. He stroked her hair until she fell asleep next to him.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia's eyes flittered open the next morning. Though she wasn't sleeping in her own bed nor was she sleeping in an especially comfortable position, she still felt well-rested.

Her head turned to she could look up at the man who was sharing the bed with her.

_Byakuya…_

She smiled.

Having looked at him for a few seconds, she gingerly scooted out of the bed so as not to wake him. Rukia never did have an opportunity to put on an appropriate set of sleeping clothes on, so she was still wearing the same kimono from yesterday, though it was now quite wrinkled. She slowly slid the door to Byakuya's room open and made her way to the outside hallway. Rubbing her eyes, she wandered to the garden - then, she made her way back into the manor to where she ultimately planned to be.

_Should I?_

She exhaled as she decided to cross the line she wasn't sure she should cross. She swung the doors open and sat back down in front of the display. Her head moved from looking down at the floor in reverence to now looking straight ahead and into her sister's eyes.

_Hisana…_

Rukia had thought about this meeting last night. She had never known her sister nor did she know if secretly accessing her shrine – the same shrine that she knew Byakuya had prayed at many times – would really accomplish anything. But there was still a little feeling nagging her, as if she was hoping and wishing for something that was not hers for the taking. Byakuya still, in a sense, belonged to Hisana. Rukia wanted to talk about it with her and thought this might be one way to set things straight, even if she was the only one listening.

"Hisana, you married a great man all those years ago. I can tell that he loved you very much. He has told me so much about you and the love that you shared. I have come to you for two reasons. The first is somewhat selfish. Byakuya, in his efforts to become the sibling I never had as you asked him to, has become very dear to me. He and I share a special bond that I have never experienced before. I…"

She paused.

"Sister, I think I am in love with him. I hope you can forgive me for wanting him to me more than a brother to me. I know why you asked him to adopt me as a sister, but the circumstances have changed. I think I could make him happy – and that is no small feat. He has not been happy since you died all those years ago. If we are no longer brother and sister, would you accept us?"

"The second reason I have come to you is solely for Byakuya. Even if you do not accept us together, I ask that you somehow let your hold of him go. Let him find happiness once again no matter who it might be with. He has pined for you for over 50 years. I cannot imagine you would ever wish for him to be lonely or miserable after your passing."

"I know you meant well with your final wishes all those years ago. However, I believe that your intent can still be met even with some small changes. Please forgive me if I am wrong. I just don't think I can live like this much longer."

Rukia stopped talking aloud and bowed her head in reverence. She then laid a single white rose in front of Hisana's picture before closing the shrine back up again.

Rukia made her way back to her own room so she could bathe and get ready for the day. Her plans were to simply keep Byakuya company once again. She would make sure all his needs were taken care of.

Byakuya actually got out of the bed for the first time that day. He even insisted on taking the evening meal down in the dining room.

While at dinner, Byakuya suggested that Rukia start back in squad 13 the next morning. He insisted that he would not threaten his recovery by doing anything stupid. Goro agreed to stay with Byakuya in Rukia's absence to make sure nothing happened to him. He would only need a few more days of this before he would be ok on his own.

Rukia slept by Byakuya's side once again before rising early to head to squad 13 and begin her regular work as a Shinigami once again.


	17. Chapter 17

A quick note to my readers. Thanks to those of you who weighed in on the lemon question. I have pretty much decided that I will include one when the time is appropriate. The rating will then change as a result.

Today's chapter is a bit of a bonus since I just posted one yesterday. I'm going to be away for about a week and a half and thus will not be posting for a little bit. Just wanted to let you know so you aren't expecting anything soon. I expect the next chapter will be up 10/23 or a few days after.

aangfan

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya woke up the next morning feeling better than he had since he returned from the ill-fated mission. Goro knocked lightly on the door and peered into the room.

"Good morning, Goro," said Byakuya.

"Kuchiki-taicho, do you need anything?" he asked.

"Yes, I think it is time that I take a bath. My wounds are closed, so it shouldn't be a problem. Please come dress my wounds once my bath is complete. Then I'd like some breakfast down in the dining room," answered Byakuya.

"I will draw your bath and inform the kitchen staff of your desire to eat," said Goro, departing the room.

_I wonder how the squad is doing. It's curious that Renji has not been by to see me. Rukia has probably been keeping him up on my condition – she is a protective one._

Byakuya took his bath and ate his breakfast. When he got up from the table, Goro made sure to ask him where he was headed to next. Byakuya understood why he needed to know and didn't mind him keeping tabs on him. Goro was extremely professional and had served the Kuchiki family for more years than he could count.

"I think I will visit with Hisana for a bit," answered Byakuya.

"Very good, sir," replied Goro. "Will you be able to manage getting to your study on your own?"

"Yes, I think I can make it," said Byakuya. He knew Goro would not be far behind.

Byakuya went to his study and opened the doors to the shrine. He bowed his head for a few seconds before opening his eyes to look at his wife's picture. That's when he saw it – a white rose.

"Goro!" he shouted knowing the servant wasn't too far away.

Goro appeared in the doorway to the study. "Yes, sir?"

"What is this?" Byakuya turned to face him with the white rose now in his hand.

"I would guess that someone else has visited Miss Hisana recently," said Goro.

"Yes, I realize that. However, no one has my permission to be in this room let alone opening her shrine!" Byakuya was livid.

"Sir, if I may…" started Goro.

"Do you know who this was?" demanded Byakuya.

"Yes, sir. It was Miss Rukia," answered Goro.

_Rukia? How could she do this to me? I thought we trusted each other._ It was obvious that she had crossed the line as far as Byakuya was concerned.

"Sir…," started Goro again.

"What?" shouted a very pissed off Byakuya.

"I was concerned when I saw her enter your private study, so I did watch her while she was here," Goro explained.

Byakuya immediately calmed down when he heard this. He knew he was about to find out what exactly was going on.

"Go on," Byakuya said.

"She showed no disrespect whatsoever, sir. She was quiet and seemed to show Miss Hisana all the proper respects she was owed."

This intrigued Byakuya even more.

"This is solely my own opinion, but I think she needed to confide in her sister and she thought this would be the closest, most intimate way to do so," said Goro.

"Did you hear anything she said?" asked Byakuya.

"Yes, I heard it all. Are you sure you want to violate her privacy by asking me to repeat it?" Goro asked.

Byakuya thought for a moment. Rukia had obviously not meant any harm by what she did. In hearing what Goro had told him thus far, he was actually becoming somewhat accepting of his sister using this shrine if need be – that is, as long as it was not at the same time he planned on talking with Hisana.

Byakuya sighed.

"Can you sum it up for me?" asked Byakuya. "I feel I need to know, yet I do not want any of the private details."

"Miss Rukia asked her sister to let you go so you could be happy," said Goro.

_Always thinking of me…_

"Is there anything else?" Byakuya asked.

"Only one more thing. I'm not quite sure how to put it. It isn't really my business what becomes of this, so you must realize I will not judge…," said Goro.

"What?" Byakuya found himself getting a bit impatient.

"Miss Rukia has also asked her sister to give permission so she….might be with you," said Goro.

Byakuya stood there – silent and unmoving. There was the final confirmation that she was thinking along the same lines as he was. He had already promised himself that he would not hold back any longer.

_The time to act is sooner rather than later…_

"Thank you for being so honest, Goro. Please do not share what you have told me with anyone," said Byakuya.

Goro left the taicho in his study and went about his business.

Byakuya lit two candles near Hisana's picture. Then he took a seat in front of the shrine.

_Hisana,_

_I know Rukia has already talked to you about this subject. Although I am not entirely sure what she said, I wanted to share my opinion with you as well. It is time for me to move on. I loved you….and I still love you and you will always own a piece of my heart. When you made your final wish, I think you were looking out for your little sister. You wanted her to be loved and cared for. This is why you asked what you did._

_The situation has changed. I…am in love with Rukia. As I believe she is in love with me. If your final intentions were that she be happy and taken care of, I can promise you that she will be. If I can, I will need to end the brother-sister arrangement made right after your death – although this is technically going against your last wishes, I believe it is in line with your intentions._

Byakuya sat there with his head bowed and silent for a few minutes. A few drips fell onto his lap.

_Why am I crying?_ He pondered. He felt an enormous weight lifted off of his shoulders. It was almost as if he was turning a page in his personal book of life…it was time to start fresh once again.

Byakuya felt a breeze come into the room from the garden. It blew out the two candles he had lit earlier. All doubt left his mind. He would do this. His resolve was strong.

OlOlOlOlOlO

A Shinigami from squad 6 showed up at the manor later that afternoon. He was met at the gate by the guards, who were aware that he was coming. They allowed him to walk to the front door where he was met by Goro. Goro showed him into one of the sitting rooms where Byakuya was already there waiting for him.

When the Shinigami entered the room, he bowed to his taicho and greeted him properly.

"Mitoyo Ichikawa," Bykuya said the Shinigami's name out loud.

"Hai, taicho!" Mitoyo responded.

"I am very impressed by Abarai-fukutaicho's choice," said Byakuya.

"Taicho, Abarai-fukutaicho said I was to come here to receive instructions from you for a mission," said Mitoyo.

"Ichikawa, this isn't so much a mission as a personal favor for your taicho. I need a very important message delivered to the world of the living. I also need….confidentiality," explained Byakuya.

"Sir, my family has proudly served squad 6 under the Kuchiki family's leadership for centuries. I would never betray your trust," said a very proud Mitoyo.

"Very good," answered Byakuya. "Are you familiar with the Shihoin family?"

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Two more days passed and Bykuya was virtually back to normal. He had not yet started up his duties in squad 6 – Rukia made him promise to stay home for the full week that Unohana-taicho had prescribed – but he still managed to practice a small amount in the Kuchiki family training area while Rukia was working in squad 13 during the day. He made sure not to over-exert himself because he did not want to have to explain to Rukia that he was doing anything he shouldn't have been. Tomorrow would be a week and he planned on returning to squad 6 to resume his normal duties.

"Byakuya!" a voice shouted from the hillside by the training area.

Byakuya didn't turn to face his visitor. He already knew who it was based on the greeting. He kept going on with his practice.

When the visitor finally reached Byakuya, he stopped swinging his zanpakto. "Yoruichi Shihoin, I presume," he answered.

"Why so serious Byakuya-bo?" she asked. "I came as soon as I could get away from Urahara's shop. Your messenger sure didn't stay long – pretty much handed me your note and took off."

"As he should have. He has no idea what was in the note I sent anyway," said Byakuya.

"Ah, I see. Something serious then," she answered. "How are you anyway? I heard you were recently injured."

"I'm still recovering," answered Byakuya.

"Should you be out here with your zanpakto then?" Yoruichi asked.

"Now you are starting to sound like Rukia," he noted.

Yoruichi laughed. "So I'm not the only one who likes to give you a hard time then."

"You have no idea," he replied.

"So what was so important that you asked me to come all the way from the world of the living?" asked Yoruichi.

"Come, walk me back to the manor," said Byakuya.

Byakuya sheathed his zanpakto and started walking with Yoruichi back to his home.

"You are the first person I am speaking to about this. I would appreciate your candor…as well as your discretion," said Byakuya.

"Why me?" she asked. "I'm sure you have other confidants…"

"No, it has to be you," he interrupted. "Although we've had our moments in the past, there are a few things that make you uniquely qualified. You have been a taicho of the Gotei 13 and you are from a noble family. Probably most important is that you have been a tutor of mine and I have learned to trust you in all the years we've known each other – even if we don't always get along. I very much respect your opinion."

Yoruichi nodded, sensing the seriousness of the conversation about to happen.

"I'm not quite sure how to say this, so I'll just come right out and say it," he said. "The truth is…I'm in love with Rukia."

Yoruichi turned to face the taicho. Her face was completely serious and straight at first, but then she bent over laughing hysterically at what Byakuya just said.

"Did I just say something amusing?" he asked, somewhat annoyed.

"You are so serious, Byakuya-bo," she finally stated, tears coming from her eyes. She finally composed herself before continuing her comment. "I'm sorry. But it is somewhat ironic don't you think? Hisana's sister? Really? So you've been alone, sad and depressed for 50 years and when you finally find someone else, its Hisana's sister."

"Yes, that has crossed my mind," said Byakuya. "But more disturbing…"

"Is the fact that she is _your_ sister…make that your _adopted_ sister," said Yoruichi.

Byakuya bowed his head. "Yes."

"You are such a fool sometimes," she commented.

"Excuse me?" he questioned.

"Byakuya, it isn't a problem. You may think there is a line there that you shouldn't cross, but I think in this case – especially in this case – you are making too big a deal of it," said Yoruichi.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, I have several reasons I'd like to share with you. First of all, historically, for everyone in the Soul Society other than the noble families, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters are all technically unrelated. But they still come and go from families with ease. No one ever finds their _real _family. They might even still be alive. Toshiro and Momo have a granny that they aren't related to. They lived essentially as brother and sister, sleeping under the same roof for years, yet we all know Momo loves him. The only difference between you two is the piece of paper," explained Yoruichi.

"Yes, but -," said Byakuya.

"But we're nobility, is that what you were going to say?" asked Yoruichi.

"Yes," he admitted.

"Screw that," said Yoruichi. "Semantics. You are the head of the family, are you not? Well, then – change it. You have that power."

"I'm not sure I shou-," he started again.

"But that's not the only reason," said Yoruichi. "What about the fact that you adopted her as a sister? Who does that? Again, I've never even heard of that one before. Your parents didn't adopt her…hell, they didn't even know her."

Byakuya thought silently for a minute, trying to take in what was being said to him.

"My third point….it's a god-damned piece of paper!" she shouted at him. "Ok, let's say that you don't want to change the whole way that nobility does things versus the way the rest of Soul Society operates. And let's say that you are firm in your stance that you adopted her as a sister fair and square 50 years ago and nothing about that can change…," said Yoruichi. "So if you don't want her to be your sister anymore, just kick her out of the family."

"I couldn't -," he started.

"So then _don't_ kick her out of the family. Just make her not your sister anymore. Sign another piece of paper making it that way," explained Yoruichi. "If she had done something bad, something against the family, you would have no qualms about kicking her out, would you? Is that the only reason you'd ever get rid of someone from the clan? If you can get rid of someone for a negative reason, why can't you do the same for a positive one?"

"Hm," was the only thing coming from Byakuya's mouth.

"Fourth point…," said Yoruichi.

"There's more?" he asked.

"This is the last one," she replied.

"Go on," he said.

"Both of you have so many friends here in the seireitei. Do you honestly think that if you and Rukia were together that anyone close to you would want anything but happiness for you two? You are both well-loved here."

Byakuya gave her a look after that last comment.

"You don't believe me?" she asked.

He still glared at her with some disbelief. He knew that with all these reasons she came up with that this should be a relatively easy decision. There was something holding him back still though.

"Of all the taicho's of the Gotei 13, who is the one that you respect the most?" asked Yoruichi.

He thought for a moment. "For all matters having to do with being a Shinigami and a friend, I'd have to say Ukitake-taicho," he replied.

"Go see him then," demanded Yoruichi. "I want you to ask him directly if he thought this relationship would be an abomination should you choose to pursue it. It's actually quite fortuitous that you selected him."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because he is Rukia's taicho," she explained. "Who better than that to give his blessing?"

"Thank you for allowing me to hear your opinions," said Byakuya. "You have given me much to ponder."

They had reached the outside of the manor.

"Will you need me again?" she asked. "Or will you be alright from here on out?"

"I'll be fine," said Byakuya. "I appreciate the time you took to come see me."

"Byakuya, please don't back down because it will be hard. I agree that not everyone will see things the way you want them to. For your sake – and Rukia's sake – be strong about this. You both deserve each other. You both deserve to be happy."

She smiled and used shunpo to leave.


	18. Chapter 18

Renji walked into squad 13 the next day and headed right for the fukutaicho's office. Being as informal as he was – especially when it came to Rukia – he barged right in.

"Hey midget!" he greeted her. "How're things?"

"Renji!" she shouted at him. She sighed knowing that he would never change.

"Can you please knock or something next time?" she asked.

"Why? It's just you," he replied.

"You never know…," she said.

"Yeah, right. How _is_ that secret crush of yours coming along?" he asked.

She blushed a little. "Don't you worry about it," she replied. "Are you here to pick on me or is there a real reason I'm being honored with your presence?"

"Oh yeah," he said. "Kuchiki-taicho sent a message." He handed her a folded piece of paper.

"Thanks, Renji," she said after she had read the message.

"Anything wrong?" he asked.

"No. We just like to keep each other informed when we'll be missing dinner…that's all," she explained.

"His first day back and he's already going to be missing dinner back at the manor?" Renji observed.

"He probably has a ton of work to catch up on," she replied.

"Oh thanks. Are you saying I couldn't keep up while he was out?" asked Renji snidely.

"Baka," she replied. "Am I wrong?"

"No, you're right," he admitted. I suck at paperwork and he does have some catching up to do. But I think he is actually making plans with someone else tonight."

"Oh, I see," she replied.

"Gee, Rukia. I'd invite you to dinner, but I'm going out with the guys tonight," said Renji.

"That's ok," she replied. "I can just find something at the manor. I really haven't been all that hungry recently."

"Hey, you should ask Rangiku if she's busy. I think she's heading out with a few of the ladies tonight as well," he told her.

"I will. Thanks," she said. She looked down and saw another message in his hand.

"Do you still have a delivery to make?" she asked.

"Yeah, to your taicho," said Renji. "Hey, I'd better get going. Your brother would kill me if I forgot to deliver this one."

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia, Rangiku, Isane Kotetsu and Nanao Ise walked out of the seireitei and towards one of Rangiku's regular hang-outs in the Rukongai.

"How many places do you frequent, anyway?" asked Nanao to Rangiku.

"Oh, I don't know," Rangiku said. "There are quite a few, but aren't you glad I know these places so we don't accidentally end up at a dump?"

"I guess so," answered Nanao.

"So how are things with Renji?" asked Rukia.

"So far so good," Rangiku answered. "I never thought I would date a guy like him."

"Why's that?" asked Rukia. "You two are perfect for each other!"

"Yes, we are very much alike. But don't they say 'opposites attract'?" said Rangiku. "I always thought I'd end up with someone like my taicho – very prim, proper and serious."

"That's just an old wives' tale," noted Isane. "You gotta be with someone who shares your interests else it will never work."

"Well, he and I like to eat and drink a lot. We love going out after work," noted Rangiku.

"And you both are usually so…informal," said Rukia.

"Informal? What do you mean by that?" asked Rangiku.

"Oh, you know," said Isane. "You both like to goof off."

"Way to be blunt, Isane," said Nanao.

"No, it's true. We both try to make things as fun as possible," said Rangiku. "There's nothing wrong with that as long as you know when to be serious."

The four women reached their destination and were given a private room to dine in.

"You've got some pull here as well, Rangiku," said Isane. "Nice room."

"I'm a frequent customer," said Rangiku. "I guess they want to keep me happy."

It was a pleasant meal and for once, Rangiku didn't drink too much. Rukia enjoyed seeing her friends again, especially Nanao and Isane – it had been much too long since they had an opportunity to catch up with each other. Outside of the restaurant, they went their separate ways and Rangiku ended up walking with Rukia.

"Rangiku, I wanted to say 'thank you'," said Rukia.

"For what?" Rangiku asked.

"For liking Renji so much," Rukia replied.

"Nonsense," said Rangiku. "You act like I'm doing you a favor. He's a wonderful man."

"Yes, he is," noted Rukia. "I'm glad you two found each other. I know you will make him happy."

"You have no idea," said Rangiku.

"Rangiku! I don't need to know about that!" shouted Rukia.

Rangiku giggled, knowing she just made Rukia feel somewhat uncomfortable with her insinuation.

"So Rukia, who is this crush I've heard about?" asked Rangiku.

Rukia smiled, but didn't say a word.

"C'mon, Rukia. No fair! You can't even tell me?" Rangiku practically begged.

"If I tell you, you've got to promise not to tell anyone," said Rukia. _It might be nice to have a confidant – someone who isn't in the Kuchiki household and someone who has nothing to do with squad 6 or 13._

"Cross my heart and hope to -," started Rangiku.

"Seriously!" Rukia interrupted. "This has been….hard on me."

Rangiku sensed the change in Rukia's tone.

"Sweetie, what is it?" she asked.

"Rangiku, I could use a friend. I'm not sure what I can do about this," explained Rukia.

"Come. Sit," insisted Rangiku, who pulled Rukia onto a bench that they happened to be passing. "Now what is bothering you?"

"Rangiku, I need to know that this is between you and me. You cannot tell anyone, especially Renji," Rukia still insisted.

"Ok, fine," said Rangiku. "I just want to help if I can."

"I -," she started. "I….think I'm in love with Byakuya."

Rangiku's face went blank. "You're kidding," she said flatly.

"I'm afraid not," said Rukia.

Rangiku immediately knew she had to tread lightly. She couldn't imagine anyone falling for Byakuya, the coldest man she knew. She also felt bad because, in her mind, this had to be unrequited. There was no indication that Byakuya was even interested in dating or women let alone his own adopted sister. Plus, wouldn't it be a bad thing for the Kuchiki clan?

"Rukia," Rangiku started. "I'm not sure what to say."

She paused for a few moments.

"Do you mind if I ask why," said Rangiku.

"Why….what?" asked Rukia. "Why him?"

Rangiku nodded. "You have to admit that although he is extremely good looking and a noble at that, he is not exactly the most personable man I have ever met. He's all business all the time."

"But Rangiku, you see Kuchiki-taicho day in and day out. You see the man who leads his squad and reports to the soutaicho. I get to see him behind the scenes when he can actually relax a bit. He has gotten a lot better when he isn't in the public eye. I eat dinner with him every night and we even go for walks. He has told me things I'm sure he has never told anyone else," explained Rukia. "He has let me into his private world."

"Rukia, I must say, that I still have a hard time seeing it. I'm sure that it is because the Kuchiki-taicho that I see is not the Byakuya you see. All I want is for you to be happy. If you are sure that this is love, then I am all for it. I just hope you don't get hurt in the long run," said Rangiku.

"It is going to be hard to get hurt when nothing will ever come of it," said Rukia solemnly. "It is only a crush and I'm sure that it all it will remain."

"Are you so sure? Doesn't he feel the same way?" asked Rangiku.

"I think he might," said Rukia. "But there's no getting around the adopted sister thing."

"Oh, hon," said Rangiku who then leaned over and hugged Rukia.

"Even if he did care for me, he might feel it will never be accepted…or appropriate. I am unwilling to risk all that we now have to pursue this. I will only change things if he initiates it," said Rukia.

"If it were any other situation, I would encourage you to be more aggressive. But I completely understand where you are coming from," said Rangiku. "If you ever need to talk, you know where I live."

"Thanks, Rangiku," said Rukia. "Just being able to talk to someone about it makes me feel better."

OlOlOlOlOlO

While the four fukutaichos were off having dinner, Ukitake-taicho continued to work late in squad 13.

"Taicho, don't you think you ought to quit for today?" asked Sentaro. "You don't want to push yourself."

"Ah, Kotsubaki. No, I'm fine. I have plans this evening so I just thought I'd finish up some of this paperwork while I waited for a visitor," said Juushiro.

"Hai, taicho. If you are ok, I'll be leaving then," said Sentaro.

"Have a good night," replied Juushiro.

The office was quiet and Juushiro had lit several candles on his desk as the sky outside got darker and darker. He rose from his desk and slid one of the doors to the outside to one side so he could look at the moon's reflection on the pond. _What a beautiful night._

Right after he sat back down, he heard a voice from the hallway.

"Ukitake-taicho, are you available?" said the voice.

"Byakuya, come right in. I've been expecting you," said Juushiro.

Byakuya slid the door to one side and entered Juushiro's office.

"Please, sit. I have some tea prepared…please, help yourself," said Juushiro.

"Thank you," said Byakuya who took a seat in front of Juushiro's desk.

"So what is this matter you would like to speak to me about? Your message from earlier wasn't very specific," said Juushiro.

"I need your opinion on something," said Byakuya.

"Sure. Anything," said Juushiro.

"This is somewhat personal…and it involves Rukia," said Byakuya.

"Ah, it has been a long time since you've needed my advice on a personal level Byakuya. And I'm happy you are keeping me in the loop if it has to do with my fukutaicho," said Juushiro.

"I am planning on making a change in the Kuchiki family," said Byakuya.

"Oh, and it involves Rukia?" asked Juushiro.

"I am planning to cut ties with her as a brother," said Byakuya.

"What?" said Juushiro, alarmed. "Byakuya, how could you? What has she done that she deserves to be ousted from the Kuchiki clan?"

"She will not be ousted from the clan," said Byakuya.

"But you just said -," started Juushiro.

"She will remain a Kuchiki," interrupted Byakuya. "She will just no longer be my sister."

Juushiro Ukitake sat there thinking for a moment trying to figure out what Byakuya was trying to tell him. "But why - ," he started.

Byakuya kept looking at him trying to make him able to read between the lines – to see if he could jump to the conclusion that he wanted him to jump to.

"Do you…..love her?" asked Juushiro.

Byakuya smiled. _I __guess it wasn't so far-fetched after all_. "Hai, taicho."

"I see," said Juushiro.

"Ukitake-taicho, she means the world to me and I cannot be pursuing my sister after all. We have grown very close ever since the day of Aizen's betrayal and I cannot live like this any longer," said Byakuya.

"Does she feel the same way?" asked Juushiro.

"I am confidant she does," said Byakuya.

"If you are both mutually accepting of this change, then all I can to is give you both my best," said Juushiro.

"So you do not object?" asked Byakuya.

"When you adopted her, it was just an arrangement made on paper," said Juushiro. "As far as I can tell, as long as she remains a Kuchiki, nothing much will change other than the fact that you will no longer be brother and sister. She will still be living with you and will be well taken care of. I hope you both find happiness with each other."

_Yoruichi was right._

Byakuya rose from his chair. He bowed towards his old mentor and thanked him before making his way home.

The more he thought about what was going to happen, the more giddy he felt. He was actually going to do this. He had been pondering this for months and months, yet now he was finally prepared to pull the trigger and get the process moving.

_I'm going to hold off from telling Rukia,_ he thought to himself. _ I will surprise her when it is completely finished._ He was making the exciting reveal plan up in his mind as he veered towards another home near his manor. He knocked on the door.

An older gentleman answered. "Yes?"

"I need to speak with your master immediately," said Byakuya.

The older man bowed. "Of course, Kuchiki-taicho. Please come in."

He stood by the door when Wasaki entered the foyer.

"Byakuya-sama," he greeted when he saw his visitor.

"I need you to prepare some documents for me," said the head of the Kuchiki clan.


	19. Chapter 19

_A few days later…_

Rukia was walking home from her squad's barracks. As she neared the manor, she crossed paths with Wasaki.

"Miss Rukia, how nice it is to see you," greeted Wasaki.

"The same to you, Wasaki-sama," she replied.

"How have you been? It has been a little while since I've seen you," said Wasaki.

"I've been fine. Things have finally gotten back to normal at the manor. Nii-sama has caught up with his work in squad 6 so everything is as it should be," said Rukia.

"That's good to hear," said Wasaki. "Are you heading home?"

"Hai," she replied. "My day in squad 13 is finally over. Now I'm just looking forward to a hot bath and dinner with nii-sama."

"If you are heading that way anyway, would you mind dropping these documents in Byakuya-sama's study for me?" Wasaki asked, noting the folder in his hand.

"No, not at all," she replied, taking the folder.

"Thank you very much. I am expecting company and didn't really have the time to deliver this right now, but your brother insisted I bring these to him as soon as they were ready," said Wasaki. "Good evening," he bowed.

"Good evening to you as well," answered Rukia, bowing back.

Rukia watched him walk back towards his house as she neared the manor. Rukia looked down at the folder full of documents she held in her hand. _ I wonder what is so important that they required immediate delivery._

She really wasn't paying much attention to what she was doing. Her focus was still on the folder when her foot hit a rock that was in her path - knocking her over and sending papers flying everywhere. Lucky for Rukia, it was not a windy night. However, she still felt the need to scramble to make sure all of Byakuya's documents were neatly put back in the folder.

It was as she was retrieving the papers that she caught sight of their purpose.

_What….is this?_

She stood there staring at the paper that ended up being on top of the stack. She couldn't believe her eyes.

_I'm being kicked out of the clan? This can't be right. What did I do? Unless…_

She put her hand up to her mouth and her eyes went wide when she finally realized…

_Maybe Byakuya knows how I feel and he just wants me away from him for fear of the embarrassment of his sister having feelings towards him._

She quickly tidied up the papers and ran the rest of the way to the manor, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

Rukia ran inside the manor. Goro was the first person she saw and she practically threw the folder at him. "Goro, please put these in Kuchiki-taicho's study at your earliest convenience. Oh, and I will take dinner in my room this evening. I am not feeling well," said Rukia.

She didn't even give him time to acknowledge her request before she bolted for her bedroom. Her door closed and she threw herself on her bed. She quietly sobbed into her pillow for what seemed like hours.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya came home shortly after Rukia. Goro met him at the door.

"Good evening, Kuchiki-taicho. I've got two things to tell you this evening. I have placed a folder full of documents on your desk in the study," said Goro.

"Excellent. I've been awaiting them," said Byakuya. "And the second?"

"I'm afraid Miss Rukia is not feeling well and will not be having dinner in the dining room this evening," said the servant.

"Very good, Goro. Thank you for the information," said Byakuya. _I wonder what is wrong with Rukia._

Byakuya made his way to Rukia's room and tapped very lightly on her door. He didn't want to wake her up in case she was sleeping from whatever this illness she now had was. There was no answer.

Leaving Rukia to recover, Byakuya went to his study and opened the folder containing the documents. He looked at each piece of paper carefully reading them over to make sure they were prepared just as they should be. This exercise took longer than he had anticipated and before he knew it, Goro was at his door.

"Sir, dinner…," started Goro.

"Goro, please bring a plate of food here to my study. Rukia's not eating in the dining room and I may as well stay here and complete my work while I eat," said Byakuya.

"Very good, sir," said Goro.

Ten minutes later, Goro reappeared with a tray full of food.

"Thank you, Goro," said Byakuya. "One last thing…."

"Sir?"

"Please send a message to Wasaki-sama asking him to meet me at the manor for lunch tomorrow. I will be returning these papers to him then," said Byakuya.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya awoke as usual the next morning and readied himself for his usual schedule in squad 6. He went to the dining room at his regular time only to see one place set in his usual location.

"Goro?" he said.

"Yes, Kuchiki-taicho?" said Goro.

"Is Rukia still not well?" asked Byakuya.

"She has already left for the day," said Goro. "She sends her regrets, but said she is working on an important project for squad 13 and would need to work extra hours both in the morning and evening for at least the next few days."

"I see," said Byakuya. _Funny that she hasn't mentioned it to me directly._

After breakfast, he went to his squad for the normal morning routine.

Byakuya sensed something was wrong but didn't know how seriously to take his intuition as of yet. He was distracted from his duties in squad 6, but decided that nothing merited further investigation as of yet.

"Renji," he said stoically as his fukutaicho walked by his open door.

"Taicho? Is there somethin' you need?" asked Renji.

"Out of curiousity, did Rukia mention anything about a special project to you?" asked Byakuya.

"Not that I can think of," answered the red-head honestly. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Byakuya lied. "I've just heard rumblings of a special project but no details. I was just curious."

"I'll definitely let you know if I hear anything," said Renji. He continued walking.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya reported back to the Kuchiki manor at lunch. As he expected, Wasaki was already waiting for him in his study.

"Thank you for coming," said Byakuya.

"Not a problem at all," said the elder. "Are the papers to your liking?"

"Hai," said Byakuya. "I have signed every one. Thank you for being so precise with your wording."

"Well, we wouldn't want to accidentally remove her from the Kuchiki clan, now would we?" said the elder chuckling a little bit.

"No, and I know that these papers are usually used for that purpose. So I appreciate the time you took to make sure the wording was absolutely correct," said Byakuya.

"She will still be a Kuchiki, but officially no longer your sister," said Wasaki.

"That's what I want," said Byakuya.

"I will notify you when the documents are filed and the change is official," said Wasaki. "Have you thought about how you are going to tell her?"

"I have a few thoughts," answered Byakuya. "Though nothing is decided yet."

"The process will probably take a few days, so you've got a little time to think about it," said Wasaki.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia asked Rangiku to meet her for a quick lunch in squad 10's barracks. Rangiku was very busy, but was more than happy to oblige since Rukia was willing to come to her.

"What's up?" said Rangiku when she saw Rukia enter her squad's area.

As Rukia got closer, Rangiku could see her eyes were red and puffy.

"Aw, hon…what's the matter?" asked Rangiku.

"I think he knows, Rangiku," said Rukia. "And I don't think he feels the same way."

"How do you know?" asked Rangiku.

"I saw some documents last night. One of the elders asked me to deliver a folder full of official looking papers and what I saw looked like he is kicking me out of the family," said Rukia.

"There must be another explanation," said Rangiku.

"Rangiku, I saw it myself! There isn't another reason. Why else would he oust me from the clan? It's the only thing that makes sense," said Rukia.

Rangiku let her friend lean on her shoulder for support. Rukia continued crying. No one from squad 10 dared interrupt them – even Hitsugaya-taicho saw the two fukutaichos talking and knew better than to walk into the room while such a serious and obviously heart-wrenching conversation was going on.

"What should I do?" asked Rukia, mostly to herself. "It's going to go back to how it was before. He is going to hate me again, even if it is just until I move out. I don't think I can take that all over again – not after how close we became."

"So get out now….as soon as you can," said Rangiku. "Don't even look for him again. Make your plans and leave…move into the squad 13 barracks."

"But -," said Rukia.

"But nothing," said Rangiku. "If he is going to make it so you aren't a Kuchiki, there is absolutely no reason to stay there anymore. Don't cause yourself any more pain. Just get out."

Rukia sat there silently for just a little bit. She sniffed as the crying subsided. "Yeah, you're right. I have no more reason to be there….around him."

Rukia wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, though they remained red and puffy for all to see. She leaned over and hugged her friend. "Thanks Rangiku. I really needed to talk."

"No problem, sweety. Let me know if I can help with the move…or anything else you need," said Rangiku.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia, as she had previously planned, didn't return to the Kuchiki manor until well into the evening. When she entered, she made sure not to run into anyone and went straight to her room. No one bothered her the rest of the night.

She awoke early the next morning and prepared herself for her workday. Though she did not plan on having any sort of formal breakfast, she stopped by the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat on her way out.

With food in hand, she made her way for the front door. Just as she opened it, she screamed and jumped back. There, in front of her, stood Byakuya.

"Nii-sama!" she shouted, dropping a few pieces of food on the ground.

"Rukia, is everything alright?" asked Byakuya.

"Uh, sure," she replied, not being at all prepared to have this conversation. In fact, she was hoping that she wouldn't have to see him again at the manor before she left for good.

"I am….concerned," he stated. "It is not like you not to tell me about what you are working on. Now you are involved in something that makes you work very early in the morning to very late at night. This is hardly acceptable."

"Don't worry, nii-sama. I this is a special project that I volunteered for – not something I was ordered to do. I'm actually fine with it," said Rukia.

Byakuya took note of this. It had been a full two days since he had spoken to her or seen her and her excuse was that she was working on a special project.

"Why have you not told me about this project before?" he pressed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, nii-sama. I meant to tell you, but it was kind of a last-minute thing. By the time I told Ukitake-taicho I would work on it, the project had to be started immediately."

"I see," said a disbelieving Byakuya. Anyone could tell something was definitely 'off' about what Rukia was saying to him.

"I-I'm going to be late. May I go?" she asked.

"By all means," he replied.

She walked away from Byakuya who just stood there watching her.

"I'm looking forward to when we can resume spending our evenings together," he said to her back.

She hesitated when he spoke, then kept walking. _Yeah, right_.

Rukia went right to squad 13 and into her office. She sat down and exhaled. _ I hope I was convincing enough. Not likely, knowing him. _

"Rukia?" came a voice from outside her fukutaicho's office.

"Ukitake-taicho? Is that you?" What are you doing here so early?" said Rukia to her closed door. "Please come in."

The door slid open revealing the white-haired, pale taicho smiling at his subordinate as he always did.

"I should ask you the same thing, Rukia," said Juushiro. "It's awfully early for you as well, isn't it?"

"Uh – I had some leftover paperwork that I wanted to get done first thing this morning," she lied.

"Is everything ok?" he asked her knowing something wasn't quite right.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Well, ok then," was his only reply. He turned and took three steps to leave when Rukia started to speak once again.

"Ukitake-taicho," she started. "Actually, I do need something."

He turned to face her once again. "Yes?"

"I-I would like to move into the barracks," said Rukia.

"What's this? But you are a Kuchiki and live in one of the most beautiful houses in the seireitei," he commented. "Why would you even consider moving here now? You've been a member of this squad for more than 50 years, yet never felt the need to live here before."

Rukia had already planned her answer knowing this question would be coming. "Now that I am a fukutaicho, I feel that I need to be closer to the squad. I should live where most of them are living. How can I be an effective leader when I am so distant?"

"Your brother seems to do an ok job," noted Juushiro.

Rukia blushed a bit. "But - ," she started.

"Rukia, what is really going on?" asked the taicho.

She looked down at her hands fidgeting. "I'm not sure how to say this," she honestly replied.

"You know you can tell me anything. I may be your taicho, but I am also your friend," said Juushiro.

Rukia felt her eyes welling up once again. She got a little mad at herself – she had told herself that the crying was over and done with. "There is a plan to….remove me from the clan," she said.

"What?" said a startled Juushiro. "Why do you think this?"

"I saw some papers meant for nii-sama, taicho. It was an accident that I saw them – they weren't meant for my eyes – but I saw them nonetheless," said Rukia.

"And you read these papers?" he asked.

"No, not fully. I just caught a glimpse of the wording and knew immediately what they were for," she explained.

Juushiro was now backed into a corner. He had been told in confidence what was really going on and he knew it was not his place to tell her anything. How Byakuya was handling this was his business. He could only try his best to smooth the situation.

"Rukia, I do believe you, however, I also think there is a chance that this might be some gigantic misunderstanding. Have you talked with your brother about what you saw?" Juushiro asked.

"No," she admitted. "I would feel just too….too embarrassed to so do."

"Rukia," he started. But he stopped knowing that there was nothing he was willing to say at this time to make this right. He would need to see Byakuya about this in order to fix it.

"You may move into the squad 13 barracks," he said.

"Today?" she asked.

"Today?" he replied back, a little agitated. He gathered himself. "I don't know what the rush is, but whenever you are prepared to move in, you may. Just see Sentaro a little later this morning and he will assign you a room."

"Thank you, taicho," she replied, bowing to him.

Juushiro once again turned to leave the room. Rukia watched him leave and simply thought, _Good. Hopefully I will never have to face Byakuya again._

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

Rukia returned to the manor right after lunch. She went right to her room and packed a few of her essential belongings. _I'll come back for the rest when I know nii-sama…er, Byakuya-sama, is on a mission or something._

When she returned to squad 13, she went straight to the room that Sentaro had assigned her. She stood in the doorway and mentally noted to herself that this was probably going to be where she lived for a long time to come.

She quickly put her belongings into the places she wanted them to go. _I've never had to decorate before. I'll have to get to the Rukongai to buy some things to liven up the room. _


	20. Chapter 20

Hey everyone! Well, "A Little Thing Called Fate" is seemingly coming to an end...I was thisclose to keeping it going (had an idea that would still be interesting to you readers), but I think it is better to write it as a sequel. Is anyone reading this? I know I have a few regulars (THANK YOU!), but just wanted to check. I usually write for myself, but it is so nice to get good feedback :)

I think there will be two more chappies of this story after this one. I hope you've been enjoying it!

aangfan

OlOlOlOlOlO

Byakuya sat at his desk in squad 6 working on paperwork when a shadow appeared outside of his closed door.

"Kuchiki-taicho?" said a small voice from outside.

"Hai, enter," Byakuya answered.

The door slid to one side revealing Masumi, Rukia's personal servant from the manor.

"Masumi, is everything alright?" said Byakuya. In all the years Masumi had worked for the Kuchikis, she had never had a need to come to the squad for any reason.

Masumi didn't say anything at first. Byakuya looked at her face and saw that something obviously wasn't right.

"Masumi?" he questioned her.

She hid her face in her hands and he could tell she was desperately trying not to cry.

"Kuchiki-taicho, d-did something happen between you and Miss Rukia?" she meekly asked. "B-because, she was just at the manor. She looked to be packing…."

Byakuya stood up and slammed both hands on his desk. "Packing? Is she going on a mission? Something else she is keeping from me?" He was annoyed.

"No – not packing for a mission…," Masumi continued to explain, but she was interrupted by Renji storming into the room and standing next to the kneeling Masumi.

"Taicho! What did you do to Rukia?" Renji shouted.

"I didn't do anything - ," started Byakuya. "What exactly is going on here?" he asked aloud.

"I just got back from having lunch with Matsumoto-fukutaicho and she told me a few things about what you've done to Rukia. If you so much as hurt a hair on her head, I'll…," he sternly warned.

"You'll just what?" said Byakuya, more out of a knee-jerk reaction than anything else. He composed himself a bit and sat back down before saying something he would regret. "Now Renji, what is it that I supposedly did to Rukia?"

"Matsumoto told me - ," Renji started, but he was interrupted by yet another figure appearing at the doorway.

"Oh, excuse me, Kuchiki-taicho. It seems you are busy. I need to talk to you at your earliest convenience…" It was Ukitake-taicho, Rukia's superior in squad 13.

"Let me guess. It's about Rukia?" asked Byakuya.

"Hai," said Juushiro.

"Come in, Ukitake-taicho. It seems that the word is getting around that I have done something to Rukia," said Byakuya.

Juushiro walked into the office and stood on Masumi's other side.

"Now, Masumi – please continue," said Byakuya.

"Hai, Kuchiki-taicho," she replied. "Miss Rukia was at the manor just before I came here. I saw her enter. She did not seem like she wanted to be seen, so I merely watched her from a distance. When she left, I saw that she had taken all of her essentials with her. Her bag was fully packed. It was definitely more than she normally takes on a mission."

"I might be able to shed some light on this," said Juushiro. "Rukia came to me this morning asking to move into the squad 13 barracks because she recently saw some paperwork removing her from the Kuchiki clan..."

"You prick!" shouted Renji. "How dare you…"

"Renji!" Byakuya shouted. "Shut up! It's just a misunderstanding, I can assure you." Byakuya then turned back to Juushiro.

"Please continue Ukitake-taicho," said Byakuya.

"But - ," said Juushiro hesitantly.

"I no longer care who knows what is going on. I see the damage this secret has caused and it will no longer be a secret much longer anyway," explained Byakuya.

"Because of our earlier discussion, I figured it wasn't true. I had knowledge of what you were doing and just assumed she jumped to the wrong conclusion," said Juushiro.

"You are exactly correct. She did jump to the wrong conclusion. However, she obviously chose not to talk with me about it either which is why this is just coming to my attention now," said Byakuya.

Renji just stood there looking confused. He scratched his head looking a bit befuddled, like he didn't quite have all the pieces to finish the puzzle yet. "So….what exactly were you trying to do, taicho?"

Byakuya sighed. He didn't think this was any of their business, but he felt he had no choice in the matter. Perhaps he could keep the information disclosed at a high-level and keep some of the details from them – at least until he had an opportunity to discuss things with Rukia.

"I have decided that Rukia will remain a Kuchiki, but will no longer be considered my sister," said Byakuya.

"What?" said Masumi and Renji, virtually at the same time.

"Can you do that?" Renji followed-on.

"I can and I have…well, the paperwork has been finished, but the official word of the execution of the order has not yet been received. I was waiting to tell Rukia the news when it was complete," said Byakuya.

"But why - ?" started Renji.

"Now, if you don't mind…now that you know what is going on, I would appreciate your silence about this matter, at least for the next few days," said Byakuya. "I have a stack of paperwork to attend to, so…" He held his hand out in a motion that showed the three visitors the door. They immediately understood the meaning and turned to leave.

"Ukitake-taicho," said Byakuya as the white-haired taicho was about the leave the room.

Juushiro turned around.

"Thank you for letting me know about this. What we discussed before is correct so do not worry. I will make it right," said Byakuya. "She'll be fine."

Juushiro just smiled. Then he turned and left.

Byakuya sat there a few minutes pondering his next move. _So Rukia thinks I'm kicking her out of the clan. And she moved into squad 13. Hmmmm….. I think I will let things be until the official word comes back from Wasaki. That way I will be free to explain everything without holding back.._

OlOlOlOlOlO

_Two days later…_

It was after dinner and Rukia was sitting alone in her scantily decorated squad 13 room.

She sat on her bed and thought about her current situation. _I'm lonely_, she thought to herself. _I miss the evenings at the manor – the dinners, the walks… How could I have been so stupid? It had to be obvious what was going through my head. I can't believe I ruined everything._

Then she heard a light tapping on her door. Rukia got up to answer it. _I wonder if that is Hitomi. She gave me a pretty hard time at squad training earlier today and perhaps she came to apolo-_

Her thought was immediately interrupted by the towering presence standing before her.

"Byakuya-sama," she said aloud.

"Rukia, why do you not call me nii-sama as you have for the last 50 years?" he asked.

"I, uh -," she started.

"And why do you think you can just leave the manor so suddenly and so secretly and think that no one will come to find out why?" he asked.

"You see -," she started again. _Damn! I don't want to see him. How can I even talk to him?_

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked.

"Please, come in," she finally said as she stepped aside, head held low.

"Thank you," he said as he passed by her and sat in her one and only chair in the corner.

Byakuya sat there looking at Rukia as if he was waiting for her to say something to him and not the other way around. She finally made her way back to her bed and sat down. Her head remained lowered, as if ashamed.

"Rukia, please talk to me. I want to know what is going on in that head of yours," said Byakuya. "You and I have had the most personal and intimate conversations I've had in years. Please do not shut me out now. Just…trust me."

He decided to take this angle so he could see how much she was still willing to confide in him, especially after he brought up how they had been as recent as a few days ago. _Until those papers were delivered_, he thought.

"I…I don't think I can," she said to him.

He rose to his feet and moved to sit down next to her on her bed.

"But why?" he asked. "I have missed you these past few days. Something has changed and I want you to tell me what I did. It must have been pretty bad for you to react this badly."

She sighed. Rukia was a little scared of the possible outcome of this conversation. _Well, here goes… _

"Byakuya-sama, I saw the papers," she said.

"Eh? What papers?" he asked feigning surprise.

"Wasaki asked me to deliver a folder full of official documents to your study a few days ago," she said.

"And you decided to look at them?" he asked.

"No! I-I fell. They scattered and I scrambled to pick them all up again. When they were in my hand, I glanced down and saw….." she said, but suddenly stopped. Would she be able to say it out loud?

"What did you see?" Byakuya asked.

"You no longer wanted me to be in the clan," she said, her eyes starting to tear up. She covered both of her eyes with her hands and started to cry.

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him as they sat side-by-side.

"So you left," he followed on.

"Yes. I can't live the way we used to anymore. I couldn't have you be so cold to me again. Not after…," she said.

"After?" he repeated, wanting to hear the rest of her sentence.

She sat up quickly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "N-nothing. I just can't go back to the way it used to be. I decided to move here instead of….," she said. _ …losing you._

"Now I see. I've had no less than three different people come to me frantically worrying about you," said Byakuya. "I wanted to hear what happened in your own words."

"So you knew?" she asked.

"Yes, I already knew what you had seen. However, I still do not know _why_ you would think that you are not going to be a Kuchiki any longer," said Byakuya. "You haven't given me the reason yet."

Rukia knew this was the entrance to where she did not want to go.

"I - uh," she started.

"I'm listening," he sat there, calm and collected. He wasn't going anywhere until she talked to him and they both knew it.

"Taicho…," she started.

"Knock it off, Rukia," he interrupted upon hearing the formality of her tone. "This is me."

She sat there for a few seconds. "Why are you making me say this?" she asked.

"Because I need to hear it," he replied.

A few seconds more went by. "Because I am a disgrace to the Kuchiki clan…"

"Why are you a disgrace?" he asked.

"Because I - ," she said, but choked on the words.

He merely looked at her, waiting.

Finally, she looked away and said very softly, "I love you."

Byakuya's mind, though he had expected that he would get the confession he wanted to hear, still spun when he heard the words actually come out of her mouth. _Finally…._

"Rukia," he said softly. He gently grabbed her chin and turned her floor-facing face towards him. She stared right into his gray, stormy eyes with her incredibly vibrant purple eyes. She froze looking at him.

He leaned in and turned his head ever so slightly to one side and gently brushed his lips against her. They both hesitated just a split second before giving into the urges they had both been feeling for so long.

The kiss started simply and innocently, but quickly turned more heated the more time their lips were connected.

However, just as quickly as they had started, it all stopped. Rukia pushed back on his chest with both hands.

"We…can't," she said to him.

"Rukia, I've brought a copy of the papers," said Byakuya.

"What?" she immediately questioned not expecting that to be the next set of words for him to say.

"The papers – the ones you were so concerned about," he said.

"So it was true? Then why did - ," she said. "I'm confused, Bya-…nii-sama."

"You are quite correct to no longer call me nii-sama. I am no longer your brother," he replied.

She gasped, holding both hands up to her mouth. "So you did kick me out of the clan?" she asked.

"No, you are still a Kuchiki. You are just no longer my sister," said Byakuya. "Unfortunately for you, there is no sort of documentation that changes an adopted relationship so we had to use the documents usually penned to remove family members from clans. This is what you saw when the papers fell onto the ground. However, you were mistaken about their true purpose."

"I'm not leaving the Kuchiki clan?" she questioned.

"That is correct," he replied.

"Buy why? Why did you do all this?" Rukia asked still not really being sure of Byakuya's true feelings.

"Because I could no longer live the way we were. I adopted you as a sister because that is what Hisana asked me to do. I believe her intent was for me to care for you as long as you needed to be cared for. However, I believe I can do what she wished and not be your brother at the same time," Byakuya explained. "You see - Rukia, I love you, too," he finally confessed.

Tears of joy formed at the corners of both of her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his strong body and hugged him tighter than she had ever before. In turn, he wrapped his arms around her.

"I can't believe this is happening," she said aloud, mostly to herself.

"I'm sorry these last few days have been so hard on you," he replied. "I didn't want to confess until everything was official."

Rukia smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you, nii-…er….Byakuya," she replied. "I should have talked to you. I was so impulsive."

"Let's go home," he replied. He lifted her up in his arms and started to walk out of the room.

"But Byakuya, my things," she said.

"Leave them," he said. "I will have someone here to deliver them to the manor by morning. I've got other plans right now….ones that I refuse to delay any longer."


	21. Chapter 21

Byakuya used shunpo to get back to the manor with Rukia as fast as he could. The build-up to this moment had been a long time in coming and he wasn't about to wait any longer – that is, unless this is not what Rukia wanted. He was prepared for that possibility, but certainly hoped that wasn't the case.

He had considered taking her right then and there in her room in squad 13, but thought differently due to the proximity of her other squad mates. Also, there was the fact that he didn't want to make such an important lifelong memory in a place that wasn't significant to either of them.

A few of the servants saw their master enter the manor with Rukia in his arms. Upon seeing them, they looked away and smiled. Though they seemed to be indifferent, in truth they were well-aware of the situation (thanks to Goro and Masumi) and were glad to see that Byakuya and Rukia were finally together.

Byakuya went straight to his room and shut his door. He gently laid Rukia onto the bed and took both of their zanpaktos and leaned them in a corner of the room. Byakuya returned to the bed, leaned over Rukia using his arms for support and began to kiss her.

He cupped her face with one of his hands and just looked at her for a few seconds.

"Byakuya?" Rukia said looking into his eyes. Then she turned her head so she could gently place a kiss on the palm of his hand. She looked at him again and smiled.

"You have no idea how happy you make me," he said. "I didn't think I could ever be this happy again."

"Me, too," she replied in a low, soft hum.

He leaned forward and kissed her once again.

The kiss broke and Byakuya started looking at her again.

"What?" she asked, a little bit self-conscious.

"I have wanted this for so long," said Byakuya. "Please tell me now if this is not something you want because if we start down this path, I don't know if I can stop."

Through the tone of his voice and his body language, Rukia could tell that Byakuya was holding back. He was restraining himself for her sake. This was such an amazing turn-on for her – that he cared about her so much as to think of her before himself.

She touched the side of his face with her hand. "Byakuya, I want this….I want you. There is no need to hold back any longer."

Upon hearing this, the dam that was Byakuya's restraint burst and he rammed his lips onto hers once again. Rukia's armed reached up to his back seemingly clamoring for something, but there was nothing there. It just felt so good to touch him and feel him.

Byakuya broke the kiss and trailed down to Rukia's neck and eventually nibbled on her ear. Rukia couldn't help but moan as her neck was incredibly sensitive.

Bykuya sat up and immediately went for Rukia's knot in her belt. It came undone in no time and he spread the two sides of her kosode and shitage revealing her bare shoulders. His kisses soon spread down to the newly unclothed areas of her body.

As soon as the first nipple was about to be uncovered, Rukia quickly stiffened and made a move to keep herself covered.

Byakuya stopped immediately and gave her a questioning look.

"I'm sorry Byakuya. It's just been so long and….it's you and…..," Rukia stammered.

He understood immediately and gently moved her hand away while still holding it, fingers intertwined. "You are so beautiful," he explained. "Please do not hide from me."

She eased a bit after hearing his encouragement and Byakuya began once again. His mouth made its way towards her breast and upon taking the dark protrusion into his mouth, he heard Rukia moan loudly. He knew that what he was doing was making her feel good.

While his mouth paid attention to her left breast, his right hand made its way to her right one. He eventually made his way back up to her mouth where they rhythmically continued their frenzied kissing, their bodies pressing tightly against each other as their tongues danced.

Rukia pushed Byakuya off to her side. As much as they had both enjoyed everything thus far, the truth was, Byakuya had been solely paying attention to Rukia. She figured it was now time for some exploration of her own.

Her tiny hands undid his knot. His clothing immediately got looser, but there was one area in particular that she was interested in. This area was easy to pinpoint as it unnaturally bulged from his lower half.

She rolled him the rest of the way over and uncovered his chest. She laid gentle kisses on his bare skin as her left hand made its way to the bulge now so prominently protruding from his groin. She stroked the lump, eliciting Byakuya to gasp and moan at the feeling he had not felt in nearly half a century.

Rukia was excited by the reaction she received just by touching his manhood over his clothes. She gently slipped her hand down the top of his hakama and began to stroke his member without any barrier between them.

Her stroking and touching intended to bring him pleasure, but in reality, it was a little too much for him after all this time. Rukia could tell things were getting close when his breathing became heavier and his face grimaced. Soon, he put a halt to it by abruptly sitting up and grabbing her hand so that it no longer could move.

"I don't want this to end yet," he breathily said to her as he leaned over and kissed her once again.

He continued to kiss her until she was flat on her back once again and he was over her. He broke the kiss once she was in the position he wanted so he could gently remove the clothing that still remained on her body. When he was done, he briefly sat back and took in the sight of the beautiful Rukia Kuchiki. Her cheeks were a little flushed – he wasn't sure if it was due this being the first time he had seen her like this or if it was just the after-effect of all the foreplay they had engaged in.

Byakuya leaned in to take her mouth once more while using one hand to pull down the rest of his clothing. Soon enough, they were both naked, completely intertwined with each other.

Byakuya felt down between Rukia's legs. _She's so wet, _he thought to himself_._ He desperately wanted to know her taste so he took the next natural step and kissed down her firm body until his head was firmly planted between her thighs. He licked her nub once with his tongue which sent her soaring into the sky. Her back arched as she was not expecting so much pleasure from such a simple act.

Byakuya continued licking and sucking and even got his fingers involved. Inadvertently, Rukia started moving with Byakuya's rhythm, hips moving up and down as his fingers entered and exited her.

"Oh Byakuya, I think I'm going to - ," but she never got the last word out as the world went white in a haze of ecstasy. She screamed out as her body stiffened. There was a small gush of fluids, which Byakuya gladly lapped up.

When she came down from her peak, she looked down to see his beautiful gray eyes staring up at her.

"Do you want me to - ," she started to ask as he moved to be back near her face once again, however, she never got the sentence out because he didn't waste a moment before ramming himself into her. He leaned down to kiss her as he pumped his manhood into her.

"I'm sorry, Rukia," he said lowly into her ear. "I couldn't wait any longer." In reality, she didn't want to wait either and didn't mind at all.

Grunts and moans were not muffled as the two Shinigami merged with one another time and again, their hips grinding and pumping. Their thinking minds were now gone as their lower level instincts took over. All they could see, feel and smell was the pleasure and sex that had taken over their world at that moment.

"Byakuya!" she yelled in the middle of the action. "Bya - !" she yelled again. The build-up was over and she was about to reach her climax again. He was close as well and wanted to time his release with hers if he could hold-off.

"Ah, ah, aaaaahhhh!" Rukia reached her peak. Her back arched and her body stiffened. Byakuya sped up and then rammed himself in Rukia as far as he could go. His back arched and his eyes closed as he filled his new love with his seed.

The feeling of immense pleasure subsided. Byakuya withdrew from Rukia and rolled over to one side. He remained close to her and gently stroked her stomach. They stayed silent at first with Byakuya planting light kisses on Rukia's cheek every so often.

"What are you thinking?" he finally asked her.

"I'm just waiting," she softly replied.

"Waiting? For what?" he asked.

She turned on her side and looked directly at him. "To wake up," she admitted. "I still can't believe that you're mine."

He picked up one of her hands and gently kissed her knuckles. "I am yours," he replied. "And it's definitely not a dream."

"Byakuya, how are we going to - ," she started.

He shushed her and placed his index finger to her lips. "I know what you are going to say. We'll worry about that tomorrow. After all, having been brother and sister until yesterday there is bound to be confusion and questioning in the seireitei. But right now, you're mine and all I want to think about is you and me."

She smiled at him. "Hai, taicho," she playfully remarked. He smiled back as he leaned in to start kissing her again.

**End of Main Story – ****Epilogue to Follow**

**Thanks for Reading!**


	22. Chapter 22 Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Byakuya left squad 6 and headed over to squad 13 to pick-up Rukia after the work day had ended. He didn't have to wait long – she was outside her barracks just as she had promised him she would be last evening during their walk in the garden.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, before Byakuya finally broke the ice.

"Rukia, why again are we doing this?" Byakuya asked.

"I'm not sure exactly. Renji was the one who asked us to," she replied.

Byakuya sighed and rolled his eyes. It wasn't like him to acquiesce to anything Renji asked him to do. But Rukia insisted. He was, after all, still one of her best friends and he wanted to meet them in the Junrinan district for something after work. That something was still not known to either Kuchiki.

Byakuya and Rukia continued to walk until they arrived at the location Renji had specified. It was outside of the main village itself - somewhere where there were many trees and rolling green hills. They stopped dead in their tracks as they came across Renji, obviously preparing a picnic of some sort.

They gave each other a look, as if to say "what is this all about?" Rukia shrugged her shoulders and they kept on walking.

Byakuya called out as they neared the red-head. "Abarai-taicho, what is all this?" Byakuya asked.

Renji looked up at the couple approaching him.

"Oh, taicho. Rukia. Hold on a few minutes and I'll explain everything," he answered. Although it had been a few years since Renji had achieved equality with Byakuya, he still greeted him with the respect due a superior.

Rukia took a seat on the blanket that was laid out and held her hand out so that she could pull her husband down onto the blanket with her. "It's been so long since we had a picnic," Rukia said. "This will be fun!"

Just then another figure appeared in the distance. Rukia was the first to see the person. "Rangiku!" she shouted and waved at her friend. Rangiku waved back and kept coming towards the picnic site.

Finally, Renji was done setting up. "I hope I packed something for all of us," he said to the other three picnickers.

"Renji, seriously. What - ?" started Rukia.

"Just enjoy your food first," said Renji, holding up a hand to Rukia's questioning.

The four officers did just that. It had been a while since it was just them spending time together as friends.

About halfway through the meal, Rangiku turned an awful shade of green and ran off to the nearest tree. Rukia ran after her and held her hair as the contents of what had been eaten thus far were lost.

"Rangiku, are you alright?" Rukia asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Rangiku answered, in more of a serious tone than her usual cheerful self.

The two ladies walked back to the blanket and sat back down again.

"Abarai, maybe we should - ," Byakuya started.

"No," interrupted Renji. "That's actually one of the reasons we asked you guys to come here today. And there are no Shinigami spying eyes out here in the Rukongai as well."

"Renji, what's going on?" asked Rukia.

Renji and Rangiku looked at each other and smiled. "We're going to have a baby!" they answered in virtual unison.

Rukia smiled. "I had a feeling that's what was going on," she said.

"Speaking of, where are - ?" said Renji.

He stopped short when he heard loud laughing and playful screaming coming closer to them. All four Shinigami turned to face the noise.

Over a nearby grassy hill came three people. When they got closer, they could clearly see that it was a woman and two children. The two little ones ran all the way to the picnic blanket and pretty much tackled both Rukia and Byakuya.

"Hi Masumi," said Rukia, cheerfully under a small girl. "How were they today?"

"The usual – rambunctious to a fault," Masumi replied. "But I love them anyway."

"Mommy, mommy!" the little girl interrupted.

"Ayano, haven't I told you not to interrupt, sweetie?" said Rukia to her young daughter.

"Sowwy," said Ayano.

"Have you been taking care of your sister?" asked Byakuya to his son, Masaru.

"I have been!" insisted Masaru, thinking his father's question was a slight insult as if he had not been performing his assigned duty.

"Like father, like son," noted Renji, laughing.

"Thanks for bringing them Rukia," said Rangiku. "We figured they would enjoy this open space as well."

"So what exactly did you want by bringing us here?" asked Rukia.

"Good advice, of course!" said Rangiku. "It's not like Shinigami having children is a common occurrence in the seireitei."

"Good point," said Rukia.

Renji then got up and started rolling around in the grass, playing with Ayano and Masaru. Masumi giggled at the sight of the gigantic red-head getting beat up by two small children. Byakuya looked at his children and smiled. Rukia and Byakuya looked at the entire scene and their hearts were warmed. The happiness that they now shared was about to be experienced by two of their closest friends.

_He's going to be a wonderful father..._


End file.
